Key through the Soul
by BahamutReishiki
Summary: In another time Ichigo Kurosaki would have regained his shinigami power in the shattered shaft. In another story he would have stormed through the Soul Society to rescue Rukia Kuchiki from an unjust fate as a pawn in a grander scheme. Ichigo was never meant to become a shinigami but that does not mean he was never meant to be a hero.
1. Chapter 1: Dive to the Heart

_I've had this sitting on my computer for a while now and finally decided to post it. I draw inspiration for this story from __26-Lord-Pain__'s story __**NU: Birth of the Seekers**__ which, in my opinion, is one of the best kingdom hearts stories on the site crossover or otherwise. After reading the story a while back the idea for a similar type of crossover came into my mind but I couldn't figure out just how to write it. It took a while, and several plotlines and ideas, before this was finally written. Overall this is an experiment of mine to see whether I can do an excellent and faithful Kingdom Hearts and Bleach crossover. If this story becomes popular enough then I will love to continue writing it and I have a lot of it already planned out. Please let me know what you think of this story. In this stage I do not have a firm idea for the rating of the story. For the moment it shall be rated T but if I need to upgrade it to M for any reason I will post it beforehand._

**Edited: August 24, 2013: Mostly grammatical corrections and spelling fixes.**** I changed all instances of Urahara to Kisuke to better suit how English speakers would refer to him.**** Several pieces of dialogue between the Mysterious Voice and Ichigo in the Dive to the Heart have been corrected and/or changed to fix several potential plot holes. Ichigo's fight against Ragnarok in his dream realm has also been expanded upon. Approximately 500 words added to this chapter.**

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**...**

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Kisuke Urahara considered himself a very patient man. Whenever something new or exciting happened he was almost one of the last ones to respond. He liked to take his time and analyze the situation before devoting himself to a problem. That's what got him through nearly two centuries of the afterlife and with only one major exception it had always worked out for me. But even with that black mark on his nearly perfect record he was still able to somewhat adapt the situation to his advantage.

He knew from the moment Rukia Kuchiki lost her powers by giving them to Ichigo Kurosaki that _his_ hands were all over it. It was too neat, too…perfect to be anything but his work. He already knew that Aizen Sosuke had located his safe house to the general area of Karakura Town but took pride in the fact that was all the traitor knew. When Rukia lost her powers he thought it was an attempt by Aizen to pinpoint his location more precisely in order to steal the hogyoku from right underneath his nose. Thinking quickly he managed to trick Rukia into taking a prototype gigai with the hogyoku embedded within it. If everything had worked as it should have, Rukia would have lost her shinigami powers until she died of a mortal death but the hogyoku would have been forever lost.

Aizen may have been a bastard but he was a _smart_ bastard. Kisuke didn't put it past him to have foreseen what he did and planned accordingly. In retrospect Urahara cursed himself for his shortsightedness. Why would Aizen bother spending time and effort, with the risk of getting caught, looking for his heavily protected shop when he could simply have Urahara give the hogyoku to him? The real kicker was who he sent to retrieve Rukia. Urahara had expected perhaps several seated officers from the Thirteenth Division to get her but he was surprised when the captain and lieutenant of the Sixth Division, both of whom had rather close ties to Rukia, came instead. Leave it to Aizen to pit family and friends against each other for his own amusement.

When he recognized the spiritual pressures he quickly and subtlety told Ichigo's young quincy friend that there were two shinigami in Karakura Town that were hostile. While he felt bad sending the youth to be destroyed by the much stronger shinigami he didn't intend for Uryu Ishida to die. He just needed the quincy to buy time for Ichigo to arrive. He knew Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's older brother and the captain of the Sixth Division, would recognize Ichigo for who he was and strike him down without hesitation. That was the only way for Rukia's borrowed powers to be destroyed, allowing Ichigo to find his own abilities and bring them to the surface. Ichigo may have been strong but he was nowhere near the strength of a lieutenant let alone a captain and he would never be if he didn't start to rely on his own power.

A scream of frustration brought Kisuke out of his musings. Taking his time to walk over to the shattered shaft, he leaned over the edge and saw Ichigo Kurosaki attempting to run up the smooth walls without the use of his hands only to fall back down with a painful thump.

"It's been almost seventy hours boss," a red-haired boy sitting on the edge of the shattered shaft commented, "It's looking like he's going to become a hollow."

"That's not a nice thing to say Jinta," a nervous looking girl said while twiddling her fingers.

The newly-named Jinta turned on the girl, "Aw, who asked you anyway Ururu?"

"Now Jinta," Kisuke interjected before the argument could escalate, "Have at least a little faith in Ichigo."

Jinta pouted and looked down as Ichigo, "Still…what will you do if he does go hollow boss?"

Kisuke didn't want to think about that. If was being honest with himself the shattered shaft was a truly desperate move on his part. While it was able to give souls shinigami powers if they have the inclination for them the overall rate of failure is remarkably high. He didn't want to subjugate Ichigo to such a process but it was the only thing he had that would have even the most remote chance of restoring his powers before Rukia was executed and the hogyoku lost to Aizen. If he had more time he would have waited for Ichigo's natural spiritual energy to restore itself somewhat before drawing it out painlessly but that required at least a month of preparation, a month that he knew he did not have. With a reduced timetable Kisuke had to improvise.

He had been honest with Ichigo when he told him if he didn't awaken his own shinigami powers within 72 hours he would turn into a hollow but that was simply the incentive. What he may have…conveniently forgotten to say was that the shattered shaft also made it several times easier to enter the inner world and commune with a zanpakuto spirit. If Ichigo simply sat down and concentrated for a few minutes he would have been done hours ago. Sometimes the kid was just too stubborn for his own good. Perhaps he should give Ichigo a hint?

"_Nah." _A goofy grin spread across his face, _"Kids these days are spoiled enough as it is. I'll let him stew around a bit before offering help."_

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 1: Dive to the Heart**

Ichigo fell down onto his back for what seemed like the hundredth time since arriving. Muttering curses under his breath he somehow managed to bring himself into a sitting position without the use of his hands and looked up the shaft. He was serious beginning to doubt that Kisuke knew anything about how to become a shinigami and was taking pleasure from torturing him. Taking a deep breath he stood up to try and escape again only for his body to be paralyzed by a wave of intense pain centered around the chain of fate on his chest.

"Ouch. That looks like it hurts Ichigo."

Ichigo frowned at the familiar and highly annoying voice of Kisuke Urahara drifted down the shaft. Despite his mood he didn't look up at the shopkeeper, he wouldn't give him the satisfaction that he heard him. Apparently that did not dissuade Kisuke.

"Testing. One. Two," Kisuke's amplified voice echoed, "We seem to have had a temporary break in communications. Can you hear me now Ichigo?"

Ichigo glared at the shopkeeper and contemplated just how he could murder the man without getting caught, "Shut the hell up!"

Kisuke was leaning over the edge of the shattered shaft with a golden megaphone in his hands, "Now that wasn't a nice thing to say Ichigo. If I didn't know any better I would think you were trying to hurt my feelings."

"Like I care about your stupid feelings," Ichigo replied, "How the hell am I supposed to climb out of here without my hands?"

"Hmm…climb you say?" Kisuke had a pensive look on his face, "I don't remember saying you had to climb out of the shaft. Could it be that your hearing is going bad?"

"What?" Ichigo asked before his mind caught up, "And what the hell do you mean by that?"

Kisuke's demeanor shifted, "Ichigo, listen carefully to what I have to say. When I said you needed to 'transform into a shinigami and climb up' I meant every word. It is impossible for a soul to escape from the shattered shaft without spiritual powers Ichigo. That is why you must either become a shinigami or hollow to leave. Whichever one you choose to become I cannot say but know this: only one of those options will end up with you surviving to save Rukia. So what will it be Ichigo?"

Ichigo hung his head and scowled, "Then help me out here! You threw me down here and said I had 72 hours to become a shinigami but you didn't say how I was supposed to do that!"

"You may have a point there," Kisuke scratched at the stubble on his chin, "I do suppose I could give you a hint. After all, you are my favorite student."

"A hint?"

"Yup!" Kisuke said as he whipped out his paper fan, "Now then Ichigo. I need you to listen very carefully. Are you listening?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

The urge to strangle the shopkeeper rose, "Just say it!"

"Aw, ruin my fun why don't you. Anyway here it is…Sit down and think!"

"Did you just order me to sit down and think?"

"Uh huh! Great advice isn't it? I thought it was. Perhaps I should get into motivational speaking, I hear-"

"God damn it! What kind of idiotic advice is that?"

Kisuke gave an exaggerated sigh, "If you're going to insult me I guess I'll just leave."

Ichigo growled as Kisuke left before kicking the wall,_ "Sit down and think? What the hell kind of advice is that?"_

As much as he wanted to ignore Kisuke's advice Ichigo couldn't hide his growing nervousness. He knew every minute he failed to escape from the shaft was one minute closer to transforming into a hollow and losing both his mind and soul. Ichigo looked at the remaining links of his chain of fate with a grimace. There was no way to tell how much time had passed since he had been thrown into the shaft. The encroachment never went at the same speed. Sometimes one link would be eaten but three would be the next time.

"_Like hell I'm going to let this stop me. I just need to clear my mind and think. The bastard said I needed to sit down and think so perhaps he was telling me something else?"_

He remembered when he first was able to sense spirit ribbons to track down Yuichi Shibata, a Plus who was hiding inside the body of a bird and a prisoner of the hollow Shrieker. He had to concentrate and focus his spiritual energy in order to sense the spirit ribbons and all that required him to have a clear and tranquil mind. If Kisuke was right and his own powers were lying dormant in his soul then all he needed to do was focus and attempt to draw them out. If he hadn't almost been killed by that shinigami Ichigo would have thanked him after he found out that the power he had wasn't his. Ichigo did not like having something given to him that wasn't his to begin with. To find out that the power you had been using to protect the living and dead was stolen was an eye-opener. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself Ichigo sat on the ground and tried to focus on finding his spiritual powers.

It felt like Ichigo had been sitting there for hours when he began to feel a strange breeze blowing against his body. Normally that wouldn't be a problem but in the countless hours he spent trapped down in the shattered shaft he had not felt the air move at all. It was only when the breeze picked up into a full-blown gust that he opened his eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Instead of sitting at the bottom of the shaft with his hands bound behind his back Ichigo found himself freefalling through the sky towards an ocean that had to be miles away. Fear overcoming his rational mind he let out a scream as he plummeted towards the water.

"**Why are you screaming Ichigo Kurosaki?"**

Ichigo turned around and noticed a figure falling down alongside him only a few feet away. The figure, a man if the voice was anything to go by, wore a full body black cloak and hood and was facing away with his gloved hands clasped behind his back. He noticed that despite falling at nearly terminal velocity the man did not seem the least bit perturbed with his cloak barely waving at all.

When he didn't say anything the man asked again, **"I asked why you are screaming Ichigo Kurosaki."**

"I'm screaming because I'm falling to my death!" he shouted over the wind as if it were the most obvious thing. How could the man not know what was going on?

"**Are you truly falling to your death?"**

"What are you talking about? Can't you see that-"

At that moment Ichigo's memories of sitting in the shattered shaft quickly and violently returned to him. As he remembered what he had been doing he couldn't figure out just how he forgot in the first place. Calming down from the revelation he glared at the man, "Who are you?"

The hooded man continued to look away, **"That is not the right question you should be asking."**

Ichigo scowled and tried to reach out for the man but it seemed he was always just out of his reach, "Damn it, what is the right question you bastard?"

"**That is up for you to decide Ichigo," **the man answered as calmly as ever,** "The right question, however, can lead to the wrong answer if one is not careful."**

"Stop speaking in damn riddles. How the hell do you know my name?"

When the man turned around Ichigo thought he would finally get a look at his face but instead let out an involuntary gasp in shock. Instead of a face or even a head there was nothing but pure emptiness under the hood. He swallowed nervousness as the feeling of unnaturalness the man emitted washed over his body, **"I am aware of much Ichigo Kurosaki. What I know can break a strong mind and destroy weaker hearts. For instance I know that you were sent here by Kisuke Urahara in an attempt to enter what you call an 'inner world' to stave off becoming the creature you know as a hollow. I also know that you are unwilling to involve any of your friends in your rescue of Rukia Kuchiki. In the grand scheme of things you are just a boy attempting to be a man. Need I go on?"**

"How-how do you know all that?"

"**An interesting question Ichigo Kurosaki," **the man said as he pointed at Ichigo's chest, **"But the answer is simple. I can read your heart as easily as you might a book. I can see all of your memories. Your hopes, dreams, aspirations, and fears are all open to me. Nothing you know is a secret from me."**

Ichigo glared at the man but didn't say anything. If he did know everything then there was nothing that could be hidden from him. Deciding to just be blunt he asked, "Ok fine then. If you know everything then tell me where I am."

"**This is the only way to enter. ****The proper way to this place has long been lost from your world. Attempting any other way would tear your heart apart****. Every door has only one key…"**

"That's swell," Ichigo deadpanned sarcastically, "And where am I going anyway?"

"**Let me ask you a question of my own. If you could go on a trip, where would you like to go?"**

If there was supposed to be a secret meaning in the question Ichigo didn't see it, "What the hell kind of question is that?"

**"****You have no answer? Truly ****a shame,"** the man lamented and shook his head, **"Your will is strong but your heart is still not ready. At your current level you will not be able to survive what is yet to come."**

Ichigo was getting more confused by the second. Nothing the man said made any sense to him. How did his heart have anything to do with where he was? At his breaking point Ichigo reached out and actually managed to grab the man's coat. Briefly ignoring the fact that he was able to touch the man he pulled him in close and scowled, "Look pal. I don't know where I am or how the hell I got here but since I only have a few minutes left before dying horribly there are some questions that need to be answered so start talking."

The man chuckled despite the threat. Ichigo was about to hit the man when he spoke, **"Are you so sure you are going to die? Perhaps your mind is tricking your heart into believing what doesn't exist. Trust your heart Ichigo Kurosaki and everything will work out in the end."**

He held onto the man a little tighter, "What the hell are you talking-"

To Ichigo's surprise the man vanished from within his grasp in a cloud of black smoke. Staring blankly at the now empty spot for a few moments he growled and cursed his bad luck. The only person that knew where the hell he was and how he could get out of her had decided to leave him to his fate. As the ocean began to draw closer and he broke through the last few clouds Ichigo thought back to what the man said about dying. Perhaps this was all just a dream and the ocean was not actually there. He remembered being in the shattered shaft and then waking up in the sky so this couldn't possibly be right. Could that mysterious man have been his zanpakuto and this was all just a test?

"Damn it all."

Ichigo tensed and closed his eyes as he hit the ocean. Even if his mind knew all this wasn't real and he couldn't be hurt or killed his body still reacted as if it was. His body hit the surface of the water and the ocean shattered like glass.

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"Something's not right here."

Kisuke's eyes analyzed Ichigo's body from the smallest of muscle twitches to the way he looked. When Ichigo had finally decided to take his advice and sat down he thought it was just a matter of time until he called upon his actual zanpakuto and regained his spiritual powers. Everything was going according to plan when Ichigo's chain of fate stopped its encroachment several links away from his heart. When it had completed vanished without devouring itself Kisuke had expected a torrent of spiritual pressure to be released from the new shinigami. That was the only solution to why the chain disappeared, or so he thought. When nothing happened for several minutes he began to get worried.

"Tessai," he called down without his usual mirth, "Is Ichigo exhibiting anything unusual?"

"No sir!" his loyal friend and assistant replied, "I can see no sign of a hollow mask nor the absence of his chain of fate. Despite the lack of spiritual energy and pressure Ichigo Kurosaki has not begun to transform into a hollow. In fact it appears that he has actually reversed the process without becoming a shinigami. This is most vexing Kisuke."

"You're telling me," he muttered to himself and scratched his face while thinking of a possible reason for what is happening.

"_What I'm witnessing should be impossible and yet…it is happening." _All souls, from those dwelling within the Rukongai in the Soul Society to the shinigami that govern the afterlife to those still bound to the world of the living have spiritual energy. It is a misconception that shinigami need to eat and drink because they have spiritual energy. It is simply that their level of spiritual energy is too high for their bodies to naturally restore it from the ambient energy permeating the spiritual realms. Up until Ichigo lost his powers when he foolishly tried to take on a captain he radiated spiritual energy like a beacon that had attracted more than one hollow to him but now…now he was giving off nothing. If he wasn't looking at Ichigo at the bottom of the shattered shaft Kisuke wouldn't have even known he was there and that scared him more than anything. Aizen may have power and skill but you could sense him coming if you weren't under his hypnosis but you would never sense Ichigo unless you could actually see him.

Failing to come up with any plausible answer Kisuke moved to his backup plan, "Ururu, begin preparing suppression mode. You are not to attack Ichigo unless he shows himself to be hostile and without rational thought. We are in uncharted waters here and I don't want to travel blind."

The little girl nodded meekly and reached into her pocket. In what had to be breaking several laws of physics she pulled out a bandaged multi-rocket launcher bigger than her body and easily lifted it onto her shoulder, "Suppression mode activated. Target locked. Safeties disengaged. Awaiting further commands."

"Jinta, tell Tessai to began preparing a full incantation Bankin. We don't know what we're dealing with so if anything goes wrong I want as much time as possible as prepare."

The red haired youth looked at Kisuke in shock, "You serious about this boss? I mean, Ichigo doesn't look anything like a hollow."

"Jinta…"

Jinta turned to Kisuke and saw a look that he rarely, if ever, saw on the shopkeepers face, "You may be right about that but this is unlike anything we've ever dealt with."

"I suppose," the red haired kid conceded before jumping down into the shaft. As he watched Jinta leave, Kisuke's mind continued to try and think of what could cause this. While his intellectual mind would normally look upon something like this a fun challenge there was something about what was happening to Ichigo that filled him with a small about of fear and for all the years he had spent as a shinigami he couldn't figure out what was causing it.

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The reversal of gravity disoriented Ichigo but he managed to adapt before losing his balance.

Ichigo didn't know where he was this time and that pissed him off. Just a moment ago he was falling towards what he was certain was his death but now he was standing on the ground in his normal clothes and looking no worse for wear. After patting himself down to make sure everything all right he looked around, "Where the hell am I now?"

He looked around and realized it was trapped on a plateau of some sort. Walking to the edge he quickly found himself lucky that he ended up somewhere relatively safe. Shambling around the large open plains below were gigantic turtle-like creatures that had to be nearly two hundred feet tall with heads that nearly eye level with him. Hanging off the shells of the creatures were large metal spikes and chains which caused Ichigo to question who had tried to domesticate the beasts.

"I suppose I should be grateful for the small things in life," he said and turned away. He needed to look for a way off the plateau before something else appeared. He was entirely sure but if a place like this could spawn building-sized turtles he didn't want to find out how big the predators have to be. Pacing around the edge of the plateau Ichigo looked for any possible way down, "There had to be some footholds to climb down on or…perhaps…I can…"

Whatever he was thinking was quickly forgotten as he laid his eyes on what had to be both the most incredible as well as most impossible sight he had ever seen. Floating in the sky some distance away was what he could only guess was a small moon and even from his distance he knew it had to be massive in size. Even if his eyes were saying that he was right there in front of him the rational and scientific portion of his mind would not stop reminding him just how impossible this was and how many laws of physics were being broken just by it existing and he had to agree. He might not be all that good in physics but even he knew that without something to hold it up the moon should have crashed to the ground even before it was finished. Well…unless magic was involved but that's just stupid.

"Just where the hell did I end up this time?"

Taking a closer look at the moon Ichigo was able to make out patterns on the surface that eerily reminded him of continents and oceans. Having a floating moon right next to a planet is one thing but to find out it was actually a miniature planet was just too much for him. Ichigo closed and rubbed his eyes, hoping that what he was seeing was just some illusion brought about by his attempts to enter his inner world. When he opened his eyes he saw that the moon was still there but he was also able to make out tiny pinpricks of light dotting the surface. Apparently there were people living on that thing as well.

"Now I know this is a dream," he defiantly stated and crossed his arms, "I could take it floating in midair with no problems but there are people living on it? That's just absurd. I mean come on, it's staying in the air without any form of propulsion or support. This must be a dream."

"Perhaps this is not a dream then."

"I don't know. It's really-"

Ichigo abruptly stopped midsentence when he realized that someone was talking to him and strangely the voice was familiar. Turning around he saw Orihime Inoue, one of his classmates, standing contently not five feet away from him. Blinking a couple of times to make sure she was actually there and not just a figment of his imagination Ichigo stammered but managed to say, "Orihime? What are you doing here?"

Orihime didn't seem to hear Ichigo, "Isn't it wondrous Ichigo?"

"Huh?" he said before noticing her gaze was on the small moon, "I guess. I think it's just stupid though. I mean a floating world?"

Orihime giggled in amusement, "I would think you were more open-minded than that Ichigo. Weren't you a shinigami, a death god, just a few days ago. If such a thing as a god of death can exist why does a floating world make you doubt your eyes?"

Ichigo grumbled in agreement but quickly realized something important, "How did you know I was a shinigami?"

"A world created and maintained by the servants of gods," Orihime said and Ichigo realized that the girl in front of him was not the Orihime he knew, "Abandoned by their creator in ages past and forced to serve man. Unable to kill themselves nor each other to end the misery of their eternal torment they are forced to have the very beings they despise and see as insects do it for them. It's kind of sad isn't it Ichigo?"

That was the last straw. Ichigo quickly grabbed the Orihime look-alike's shoulders, "Who the hell are you?"

"Who am I? What are you afraid of?" the thing that looked like Orihime asked with a sly smile.

"Afraid?" Ichigo was thrown off by her question but tightened his grip, "Who says I'm afraid of you?"

Orihime shook her head, "Everybody is afraid of something. They deny it and cover up their fears with bravado and arrogance but they all fear something. Whatever it is that you fear, you cannot move on until you have confronted it. So what is it that you fear the most Ichigo?"

Ichigo glared at Orihime before shifting his gaze towards the artificial moon hovering in the sunset. Everything that he encountered here had to be a figment of his imagination; there was no other reason why this Orihime lookalike knew what she did. Some part of his mind or soul was questioning his resolve to be a shinigami. He thought back on his first days as a shinigami, his unwillingness to help out every soul he came across, and the powerlessness he felt while confronting Grand Fisher at his mother's grave. His fists clenched as he recalled the taunting Grand Fisher had given him in regards to his mother's death.

"If I answer your questions will you tell me what you are?" he asked.

Her silence spoke volumes and he let out a sigh, "You want to know what I'm afraid of? I'm afraid that despite all my power I won't be able to protect those close to me. That for everything I have it just won't be enough to save everyone."

"Lose everyone around you?" she asked and faced towards the moon, "Would that really be so scary? If you try your best and you fail is that truly your fault?"

Before he could respond a loud roar pierced through the air. Ichigo turned and saw a large purple and white explosion expand over the horizon to the west, "What the hell was that?"

Orihime had a content smile on her face, "Just watch Ichigo. You are about to witness history in the making."

"History?" he asked confused, "Isn't this all just a dream? Aren't I in my inner world or something?"

She didn't turn to him as she answered, "What is someone's dream but the fantasy of an active mind and what is fantasy but just the realization of someone's goal. After a long journey doesn't the goal that must have seemed impossible not appear to be so daunting anymore? What is your goal Ichigo? What do you want out of life?"

Another roar echoed through the plains and was followed by an explosion that caused a mountain to crumble to dust. Below him Ichigo saw that the large turtle creatures had begun stampeding away from the source of the roaring. He didn't know what was going on but whatever can scare those things was something he should be worried about, "Enough of the questions! Tell me what is going on!"

"I thought this was all just a dream?" Orihime asked with a familiar expression on her face, "If this is but a dream how can anything harm you?"

"What is the point to all this?"

"There is a point to everything Ichigo," Orihime answered with a carefree tone, "Our lives are dependent on questions while our dreams are shaped by our desire for answers. What you call pointless may itself have no meaning but could lead to something greater if you just believe it will. Nothing has ever been gained from thinking the impossible will never happen. The impossible is merely the hard to grasp. Every journey must begin with a single step and yours begins with a single question Ichigo. What is it you desire out of life above everything else? What would you sacrifice to obtain at all costs?"

"I don't know about sacrificing anything," he admitted and folded his arms. He frowned and tried to think of something, anything, that he would give up in a heartbeat for his dreams to be made reality and he could think of nothing. There was nothing he was willing to give up or throw away for the sake of his dream, "If it meant giving up something I already had, something I worked hard for, I would rather not have my desire."

"Very well," Orihime smiled, "But what do you want out of life?"

Ichigo thought about it for a moment, "What do I want out of life? I guess I just want to protect people. I can't promise anything like protecting the entire planet but I'm not modest enough to say protecting everyone I can with my hands is fine. I want to protect a whole lot of people. People I know and people I have never met. It doesn't matter who they are. If I can I will do everything in my power to protect them. If I can do that…I think that would be enough for me."

Orihime clasped her hands behind her back, "So you want to protect those around you? Interesting…"

A klaxon wailed through the air and Ichigo bore witness to an incredible sight. One side of the moon had begun to open up and hundreds, if not thousands, of airships began to stream out towards the source of the roaring. Even from his incredible distance he could tell that some of them were over a kilometer in length with several even larger than that. As the airships flew away at supersonic speeds they unleashed a salvo of missiles and weaponry that was so intense that the mountain range where the initial explosion happened was literally obliterated in a burst of hellfire.

Using a hand to cover his eyes from the intense light Ichigo couldn't help but mutter, "That can't be the end of it."

True to his words a shadow darted out of the dust clouds and made a beeline for the fleet. The airships in the front attempted to deploy some kind of translucent barrier to shield themselves but whatever was attacking them flew through it as if it were nothing more than paper. Ichigo heard a familiar roar much closer this time before a beam of energy shot out and into the midst of the airship fleet. Those ships unfortunate enough to be directly in the path of the attack were quickly disintegrated while those lucky enough to not have been in the line of fire were blown away by the sheer shockwave of the attack. One of the ships that had managed to survive both the attack and the aftershock attacked but a clear blue shield blocked the attack. The next moment the front of the ship was caved in before the rest of it exploded

As much as he was transfixed on the battle Ichigo turned to the only person that could possibly know what was going on, "What the hell is going on?"

"What you are witnessing is the result of reality made into dreams," Orihime cryptically answered, "All hearts end up in the same place when the soul sleeps. Sometimes an imprint is left behind by the soul. What you are witnessing is one such imprint of an event that happened in another time, another story."

"Are you suggesting this is happening on another planet?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could this be another world when it looked so similar to Earth? He might not be a genius like Uryu but even he knew the probability to be astronomically impossible.

"There is much for you to learn Ichigo Kurosaki," Orihime said, "That you still don't understand is testament to your inability to understand your own heart as well as the heart of the world. You know so little and yet understand even less. If you want to find out what you are missing then tell me what is most important to you. What would you sacrifice everything you have for?"

Ichigo stared at the destruction going on before shouting at Orihime, "I want to be strong! Strong enough to protect everyone around me so that something like this doesn't have to happen!"

"I wonder…" Orihime trailed off as her voice began to have a strange echo to it, "Is being strong really such a big deal? Will strength give you everything you want or will it just lead you down a path of pain and despair?"

The plateau shook violently and Ichigo was barely able to keep his footing. On the far side of the plateau stood the creature that had been the cause of all the destruction so far. It stood nearly ten feet tall and had blue skin with intricate patterns of red and orange weaved within it. It's orange tentacle-like hair thrashed in the air as if it had a life of its own and the large bladed tail slammed into the ground every few seconds. The creature did not seem to notice him and was busy firing laser blasts at the airships that got too close. Ichigo took a step away from the creature in fear of its power. When it let out a feminine wail he was nearly brought to his knees by the sheer power the roar contained.

"_Damn it!__"_ he punched the ground with his fists, uncaring that the rocks were carving trails of blood into his hands,_ "__I need to do something but what can I do? I'm just a normal human now.__ "_

A blade was slammed into the ground in front of him and brought Ichigo out of his fear-induced state. Taking a closer look his eyes widened in shock when he recognized it as the zanpakuto he had been given from Rukia's powers. Holding onto the hilt was Orihime, "I can see in your eyes that you fear this creature. Why do you hesitate to fight it?"

"Are you kidding me? That thing is tearing apart those ships like they were nothing! How can I stand up against it?"

"I see…" Orihime trailed off and Ichigo was stunned by what she said next, "What if I were to tell you that millions, perhaps even billions, of people will die this day if that creature isn't stopped? Does your fear of the creature still freeze your soul and hamper your movements?"

Ichigo's eyes shot open and he reached for the zanpakuto. Before he could touch it Orihime pulled it out of his reach, "If you pick up this zanpakuto you will temporarily have all the powers given to you by Rukia Kuchiki returned but is it truly worth dying for millions of people you don't' even know? Some things are destined to happen Ichigo Kurosaki. If you give up attempting to fight this creature and allow it to continue its fated path of destruction you will receive power beyond your wildest dreams. Knowing all that what is your choice?"

"Screw your choice!" he shouted and reached for the zanpakuto without hesitation. Within moments he was garbed in his familiar shinigami uniform. Hefting his zanpakuto on his shoulder he coldly told her, "I would rather remain weak forever then know I let millions of people die due to my cowardice. I may fail saving those people. In fact I probably will but if I don't do anything then they are going to die no matter what! You can take your choice and shove it whoever you are! The real Orihime would know I'd rather die then give up!"

Orihime watched Ichigo race towards the creature and let out a small smile as she began fading away, "That is the correct choice…"

Due to everything going on around him Ichigo did not hear what Orihime said as she faded away. He pushed his body to the brink with his zanpakuto held aloft to the side in order to reach the creature before it had a chance to notice his presence. When it turned its head and stared at him with one pure white eye Ichigo slid to a halt and raised his zanpakuto. He had seen the amount of power this creature could generated just by raising its voice. There was no way to tell just what other tricks it may possess.

Almost lazily the creature raised a hand at him and made a slicing motion towards the ground. Before its hand had begun descending Ichigo had already dodged to the side to avoid whatever it was planning. It was to his great shock that he noticed a long, thin slice on his shihakusho going from his shoulder down to his hip. When did it manage to reach him?

"_That thing didn't even touch me and yet it sliced right through my shihakushō…"_

Ichigo managed to avoid a second one of the deadly air bursts and sprinted forward. If he could close the distance then the creature wouldn't have the chance to use any more of those attacks. He watched as the creature pointed a finger at him and ducked as a pencil-thin laser similar to what had destroyed the airships shot at him. Skidding and dancing along the ground to avoid the deadly attack, he pushed his legs to their absolute maximum when the ground where the laser hit began erupting in explosions. Closing the distance and staying one step ahead of the explosions he leapt into the air over the creature and swung his zanpakuto downwards.

"Take this!"

The creature growled and shot several hair tendrils at him. He dodged around a couple of them and was forced to block another with the blunt edge of his zanpakuto, releasing a burst of orange sparks. Aware of just how sharp the prehensile hair was he subconsciously pushed spiritual energy to his legs and maneuvered around the next salvo of attacks and swung his zanpakuto down on its right arm. Instead of severing it as he intended all his attack managed to do was leave a shallow cross-slash shaped cut as well as piss it off. He didn't have a moment to think about this as the creature grabbed him by his neck and effortlessly lifted him to its face.

Struggling to free himself Ichigo still felt the need to get one last barb in, "Aren't you…one ugly…fanged _bastard_!"

The creature seemed to take offense at that and roared at him in response, nearly shattered both of his eardrums. As his ears bled from the shockwave Ichigo was violently thrown away and tumbled over the ground before coming to a stop nearly a dozen meters away. Coughing from the pain he quickly rolled out of the way as the creature's tail pierced through the ground like a knife through hot butter. Seeing this as an opportunity he let go of his zanpakuto and grabbed the tail with both hands and pulled. The creature nearly weighed a ton but Ichigo wasn't about to allow that to stop him. Using every bit of spiritual energy in his body he managed to swing the creature around and off the plateau.

"That should buy me some time," he thought in between pants of breath, "Oh…goddamn it."

He leaned backwards as a pencil thin beam of energy shot through the air where his head had just been. In his haste to defeat the creature he had forgotten it could fly. Not risking another sneak attack he ducked to the side and quickly brought up his zanpakuto to block a second energy attack. As he struggled to hold back the tidal wave of energy the creature seemed to become furious that he had even temporarily stopped it and decided to go all out. Ichigo grit his teeth as the force behind the attack nearly doubled and grunted when hairline fractures began to spider out across his zanpakuto.

"_I don't know how much longer I'll be able to hold it back before my zanpakuto shatters. I need to think of something."_

Ichigo suddenly remembered his fight with the Meno Grande a few weeks ago and had an idea. It was a desperate and suicidal idea but he had nothing else to lose. If he did nothing then he would be sentencing millions of people to their deaths.

"You like firing those energy beams don't you? Are you too much of a coward to fight me head on because you know I'll defeat you?" he taunted. The creature narrowed its glowing white eyes and increased the energy once again which was exactly what Ichigo wanted. Risking everything he twisted his zanpakuto and shouted, "Well then, why don't you try it on yourself!"

His zanpakuto shattered but his plan worked. The energy beam reflected off his zanpakuto towards the creature who seemed shocked by the turnaround. Before he could gloat over his success it nimbly dodged its own attack by leaning to the side. Utterly spent, Ichigo collapsed to his knees and awaited his death. He had given every bit of power he had to stop this creature but it seemed nothing worked. Now that he thought about it, its power was exponentially greater then that captain he had fought. If he was going to die he was going to do so on his own two feet and facing his enemy.

While he stood to face his demise the creature seemed to have lost interest in fighting him. It gave him what had to be a condescending smirk and roared in triumph before flying off into the air towards the artificial moon but not before obliterating several airships that happened to be in its path.

"Do not feel bad about your failure Ichigo Kurosaki," Orihime said, reappearing once more, "You were doomed to fail all along."

"What?"

"I said that if the creature was not stopped then millions of people would die. While the creature is destined to be halted on this day it is not by your hands. Take heed that despite your failure the amount of lives lost will be minimal."

Ichigo tried to think but was overcome by a sudden feeling of vertigo. He attempted to keep his balance but quickly found himself falling backwards. Instead of hitting the ground he fell through it as if it was water. As he floated downwards and the inky darkness enveloped him he saw Orihime smile and disappear like dust in the wind.

* * *

...

* * *

Ichigo felt like he was floating. It was a very odd feeling.

Opening his eyes he realized he was floating in an ocean and let out an involuntary gasp. When he found himself still able to breathe he relaxed and looked around. Despite the absolute blackness that surrounded him everything seemed to be illuminated from a source below him.

When his foot hit something solid he found himself blinded as a flock of birds came into existence and flew past him into the darkness. Coughing and brushing feathers out of his hair he looked down at the newly revealed platform. On it was a portrait of Rukia sleeping and dressed in her shinigami uniform. In one hand she held a pure white blade and in the other a pink rose.

"Where am I now?"

"**You are at the first station where your journey starts. The path ahead is difficult but you still have some time. The door has already been unlocked."**

"What are you talking about? What door?"

When the mysterious voice didn't answer he looked around and was surprised to find a pair of ornate white doors had come into existence. Finding nothing else on the platform Ichigo walked towards the doors and attempted to open them but failed.

"I thought you said it was unlocked?"

"**You must discard the remaining tie to your former powers. Only then shall the path forward be made clear."**

Feeling a weight in his hands Ichigo looked and saw the hilt of his twice-broken zanpakuto. He looked solemnly at it and thought about all the good that he had accomplished with his blade, about the number of souls he had saved and the various hollows he had given peace. Even the battle against the creature came to mind because even if the difference in power between them was like comparing a human to an ant, he was still able to cut it and he took pride in that. Now he was at a point of no return and had to make a choice. Would he throw away his only chance of becoming a shinigami for an entirely different power or turn his back on whatever lay beyond those white doors, never knowing what he could have had? Despite everything Ichigo found the choice to be surprisingly easy to make. With a resigned sigh and a heavy weight on his chest he reluctantly let go of the broken hilt and watched it clatter to the platform. As he sadly watched it decay into dust before his eyes, the doors in front of him creaked open and blinded him with an intense light.

When the light died down Ichigo found himself standing in the middle of the platform again or that is what he thought until he looked down. Instead of Rukia there was a picture of Orihime sleeping and dressed in what seemed to be a white version of his shinigami uniform with six fairy-like creatures encircling her.

"**Three paths lie before you. Each can lead to great power but what are you willing to sacrifice?"**

Three daises rose from the platform as the voice spoke. Floating above each one was a weapon. The left dais had a massive blade with two holes cut into it near the hilt, the middle had a black daito with a chain hanging off the hilt that for some reason seemed like an old friend and the far right dais had a blade that seemed to be composed of flowing water. When he stepped forward to get a better look at them the voice spoke up again.

"**The path of the berserker lay to your left. Your strength shall be unparalleled and you will sow destruction among those who oppose you. Your enemies shall cower before your power but will you be able to tell friend from foe?"**

"**In the middle is the path of the protector. You shall be imbued with unmatched defense and the ability to protect those you hold dear. Nothing can hurt you but does that hold true for those around you?"**

"**To the right lay the way to become a magi. Your knowledge of the arcane will allow you to enchant your attacks with elemental attributes. You will tear apart space asunder with your abilities but can you expect to control such an intense power without losing yourself?"**

Almost instinctively Ichigo reached towards the middle platform before stopping to think. Sure the path of the protector was tempting but was that really what he wanted? If he had the power to protect someone did he also have the power to protect _everyone_? Turning to the left he thought about the powers of a berserker. To have enough strength and power to overcome any defense or protections sounded interesting. With no limit to his strength he wouldn't have to worry about defense if nothing could stop him. He turned towards the last dais and the power of the magi. It did seem interesting to be able to mix magic with attacks to confuse his enemies. What person would expect someone's blade to just burst into fire or lightning without so much as a]word? All three choices were tempting and Ichigo took a step back and scratched his chin while thinking it over.

"_So far everything in this strange place has been a question of character,"_ he thought solemnly while going over his options, _"I wouldn't be surprised that this isn't any different. That voice must already know what path I would choose and must be giving me these three options to see if I'll stay true to myself."_

He was grateful that the mysterious voice didn't interrupt him in the time it took him to decide what path to pick. Stepping forward he took hold of the black daito, "I choose the path of the protector."

"**Your path is now set. Now what will you give up in exchange?"**

"Give up?"

"**To wield power one must be willing to sacrifice. To follow the path of the protector you must either give up the berserker or the magi."**

Strangely Ichigo found the choice to give up a power easier then choosing one, "I choose to give up magic."

"**Are you certain about your choice? Once you decide, that path shall be forever lost to you."**

Ichigo nodded and the other two weapons disappeared in a burst of light. On the other side of the platform a series of rectangular green platforms winked into existence. Looking around and seeing no alternative way of leaving he rested his new daito on his shoulder and experimentally put a foot on the first platform and found it to be solid.

"**Why do you hesitate? The next station is just within your reach. All you must do is take the first step."**

As the mysterious voice finished speaking the rest of the stairs appeared and led to another illuminated platform off in the distance, "I guess I'm walking then."

The trip to the second platform was surprisingly uneventful to Ichigo. About halfway there he slipped and would have fallen off the stairs if not for an invisible barrier that kept him on track. Three minutes later, and without any more problems, Ichigo reached the second station. Much like the first station this one too had a stained-glass picture but it was not of Rukia. Instead it showed his father and mother when they had been younger. His mother was wearing a white frilly dress while his father, strangely, was wearing a shinigami's shihakushō Both of them were sleeping like Rukia was but there was a glowing blue string connecting both of their hearts together.

"What the hell?"

A whooshing sound came from behind him and Ichigo saw that the green platforms had disappeared. That was the least of his concerns as a pillar of shadows that suddenly appeared in the middle of the platform drew his attention. Ichigo couldn't help but feel a little on edge. It just felt…wrong to him. He couldn't place where the feeling was coming from but part of his mind wouldn't stop suggesting that whatever is coming for it is very dangerous and deadly. Still on edge from his earlier fight with the creature Ichigo put as much distance between the pillar of shadows and himself and raised his daito in preparation for anything to happen.

"**I see you are prepared. That is good. You must not let your guard down for the trials you shall face."**

"Trials?" he frowned. Why did it feel like he was being dragged into a 'save the world' adventure, "I wasn't told anything about trials."

Ichigo grew annoyed when the mysterious voice didn't answer his question but received his answer when a creature emerged from the portal. At first glance it resembled a small and completely black imp-like creature with glowing yellow eyes, two antenna, and limbs that seemed to twitch every now and then. Whatever it was, he thought and tensed his body, it was unnatural. The creature looked at him and Ichigo had the strangest feeling it wasn't actually looked at him but _through_ him for something and that put him on edge like nothing else.

"**Heartless, a creature born from the darkness held within the heart made manifest. ****Despite having a heart they have no emotions and are not bound by morality. ****They steal the hearts of others in order to spread and cover the worlds in perpetual darkness." **The imp creature seemed to twitch violently at the voice, **"Those strong of heart can survive encounters with heartless but the greater the darkness in one's heart the easier it is to lose it. Be careful"**

Ichigo nearly missed the heartless attacking him.

For all the hype the voice had built up about the heartless it was surprisingly straightforward in its attack. It was almost laughable just how easy it was to read its attack pattern and dodge around it. It seemed that all those weeks of being a shinigami and fighting hollows had built up his reaction time more then he thought. Dodging around a swipe from a clawed hand Ichigo decided to go on the offensive. Slicing downwards with his daito he severed the heartless's head from its body and watched as both parts melted into a black liquid before disappearing into the shadows.

"That was a let down. I thought it was going to be more dangerous then that."

"**That was but a single heartless and the weakest variety. ****There are dozens of variations, each with different and unique abilities, and they never fight alone. The heartless will be just the first enemy you face on your journey through the worlds.**** Come, the way forward is just ahead…"**

When a second set of stairs winked into existence Ichigo was much more hesitant to take them. "Hold on just a second," he shouted into the darkness, "Are you going to explain just where the hell I am?"

**"…"**

"Great," he sighed.

His trip up the stairs was a lot more uneventful then the first and after several twists and turns he found himself at another station. Looking down he frowned at what he saw in the stained glass. In the middle of the station it showed him sleeping and wearing a shinigami's shihakushō with two people on either side of him. One was an older looking man with long curly hair, sunglasses and a long black coat. The other was an entirely white version of himself with a psychotic grin. Both of them were bound by chains that led were held in each of his hands.

Ichigo slowly walked across the station, his footsteps echoing eerily on the glass. Unlike everything else that had happened since he entered this bizarre place this station was entirely empty. There were no riddles, no heartless and that strange and annoying voice had decided not to speak anymore. As he reached the opposite end of the station and looked over the edge the voice decided to break its silence.

"**The closer one gets to the light the longer their shadow becomes but do not worry. The darkness within your heart is the least of your concerns."**

Ichigo turned and saw his shadow pulling itself off the ground and transform into a giant and much more monstrous version of the heartless he had just fought. It was nearly fifty feet tall and had a heart-shaped hole that took up most of its chest.

"**A Darkside, the manifestation of the darkness within the worlds. They are drawn towards the most powerful hearts in a world**** and only appear when a world is on the brink of darkness****. Be cautious when fighting it."**

He was nearly blown off the edge of the platform when the Darkside's hand swept across the station. Ichigo had managed to bring up his daito in time to halt his motion and gave the heartless a wound in its hand in response. It didn't seem to do much damage because the heartless brought its wounded hand up and stabbed its fingers into the station, creating a swirling portal of darkness and shadow. Several seconds later a dozen of the imp-like heartless emerged from the shadows and sprinted towards him only to be cut down before they could do any damage.

The Darkside attempted to do the same basic attacks a few more times and it wasn't long before it wasn't even a challenge for Ichigo to dodge and counter its movements.

"_Can it really be this easy? I should finish this before it tries something new."_

He leapt into the air towards the Darkside and attempted to stab it in the head with his daito but found his path blocked by the creature's hand. With a growl the heartless swung its arm and threw him back onto the station. As Ichigo bounced a few times on the stained glass before rolling to a stop the Darkside slammed a fist into the edge of the platform, causing it to tilt and for Ichigo to start sliding off.

"Damn it!" he growled as he tried to stab his daito into the glass to arrest his movements but found the material to be impervious to damage. Nearing the edge of the platform he saw the Darkside waiting for him with its other first reared back and surrounded by a sphere of darkness.

"Not today!"

Thinking back Ichigo would admit that what he did was probably a terrible idea. Without thinking he threw his daito at the sphere of darkness and was thrown backwards quite hard by the resultant explosion. Coughing as he gathered his wits he stumbled to his feet but nearly fell over again when the Darkside's body smashed into the platform and did not move. Staggering towards the creature with a scowl on his face he grabbed his daito that had somehow appeared on the station and made his way to the heartless. Gathering his strength he raised his sword and stabbed it into the heartless's head.

Ichigo collapsed back onto the ground as the Darkside vanished in a cloud of inky shadows, "I think that I'm going to retire from this hero crap after saving Rukia."

"**Do not become disillusioned. That was but a pale mockery of a Darkside created from your inner darkness****. The path forward is illuminated for you. The worlds await you and even though your journey begins at dusk the night is always followed by the dawn…"**

Ichigo's eyes closed in exhaustion and he slipped blissfully into unconsciousness.

* * *

...

* * *

Tessai Tsukabishi watched Ichigo's comatose body with rapt attention, his hands ready to cast a full-power Bankin at a moments notice. Some would argue that a former captain willing and able to use a high level bakudo against a soul was overkill but Tessai had no delusions as to the power resting with Ichigo's soul. Given the circumstances surrounding his birth as well as who he was Tessai knew that if Ichigo were to start transforming into a hollow all the spiritual power in his soul would rush out at once and break the kido already cast on him. A total of six hours had passed since Kisuke had given him the order to bind Ichigo at the first sign of trouble and Tessai was starting to buckle from under the strain of holding Bankin for so long. He may have been the captain of the Kido Corps but his stamina was not unlimited.

Shaking his head to dislodge a bead of sweat from his eye he shouted, "Boss, I don't see any change in Ichigo's soul wavelength. Are you sure that he is turning into a hollow?"

"Not really Tessai," Kisuke answered, "We are treading into uncharted waters so I have no idea what can happen. By all accounts Ichigo should have either become a shinigami or a hollow by now. The fact that he is still sitting down there without any progress suggests something unexpected has happened. Just be prepared for anything. It would be really bad if we were to take a break only for something strange and powerful to cut us off in mid-"

When Kisuke stopped talking Tessai thought something had happened, "Boss?"

"-sentence. Damn it I thought that would work. It always does in the movies. Oh well, back to the drawing board then. If nothing happens within the next hour I will take your place. Even you must need a break."

Tessai ignored his mildly eccentric boss's rant to focus on Ichigo. He was not ashamed to admit he was fascinated by what was happening to Ichigo. In the thousands of years since the Soul Society came into being he couldn't recall hearing about a soul that stopped the encroachment of their chain of fate as well as get rid of it entirely without becoming a hollow or shinigami in the process. If the situation weren't so dire he would be casting diagnostic kido left and right on Ichigo just to figure out what was happening.

As the hour passed Tessai lowered his hands as if he were growing tired several times. It was all a ruse though because at this point he had held the final handsign for Bankin so long that it would activate with merely a thought. He had hoped purposely letting down his guard would draw out any hollow that was hiding within Ichigo's soul to fight on his own terms but so far nothing. Either the hollow was incredibly crafty and knew all about Tessai's style of fighting or Ichigo didn't have one. Tessai leaned towards the latter choice.

He may have been proficient enough in kido to sense spiritual energy with frightening precision but not even Tessai could sense mana and the amount building up within Ichigo's soul was starting to suffocate and saturate the entire shattered shaft.

Just as the hour drew to a close Kisuke called down, "Anything change Tessai?"

Tessai cracked his neck, "Sorry boss. Nothing has changed about Ichigo's soul wavelength but for the strangest thing."

"Strange?"

"Yes. Instead of his spiritual energy and pressure increasing due to transforming into a shinigami or hollow it has actually decreased to the point where he feels just like a normal soul."

"That isn't good," Kisuke contemplated, "But I don't think it means what you are implying. If he had lost his spiritual powers permanently there would have been an outpour of energy as it left his body. Since that did not occur it means that something unprecedented is going on. I'm finding myself becoming more and more interested in just what Ichigo is exactly. Anyway you can release the Bankin now Tessai."

"But boss, if I leave now the bindings on Ichigo's arms will shatter! Who knows what will happen if that occurs."

"Don't worry about that Tessai," Kisuke said, "In the time since everything started going strange I have reinforced an area approximately one hundred meters around the shattered shaft with various barrier and sealing kido. I even threw in several anti-garganta spells in case Ichigo becomes a hollow and attempts to flee. At this point even the captain-commander would be unable to break into or out of this place without going bankai. Ichigo isn't going anywhere even if he tries."

Despite his better objections Tessai reluctantly released the kido binding Ichgio's arms. What he nor Kisuke could have possibly have known was that they kido was the only thing keeping Ichigo's ever increasing mana from exploding outwards. The moment the kido dropped the mana within Ichigo sought release and shot out of his body in a pillar of gold and blue light.

Out of all the employees Tessai was the closest to the epicenter and thus was hit the hardest by the attack but he was also the first to recover. He had been quite violently thrown into the wall of the shattered shaft but quickly recovered and stared in shock at the energy being emitted from Ichigo's body. What scared him, scared an ex-captain of the Soul Society, was that he could not sense it. He could see it in front of his eyes but he couldn't feel any of it. It was almost as if it were a mere illusion. That did not stop him from planting both feet on the ground and stabbing his fingers through the solid rock, "Bakudo #99, Part 2. BANKIN!"

Immediately sheets of extremely dense and durable cloth-like material formed around his hands and shot off towards Ichigo. They began to wrap around him only for the energy surrounding Ichigo to lash out and disintegrate the kido as if it were nothing. Tessai grit his teeth in frustration and attempted to do it again only for the same thing to happen despite how much spiritual energy he put into the kido. Before he could attempt it a third time Ichigo shot up out of the shattered shaft, forcing him back against the wall with a pulse of energy.

Up above Kisuke had thrown his body in front of Ururu and Jinta as the beam of energy flew out of the shattered shaft. He was glad that his barrier kidos managed to contain it for the moment. He didn't want to have to find an excuse for why something like that was coming from his shop.

"Jinta, take Ururu and head to the exit."

"But boss…"

"Go," Kisuke warned and drew his zanpakuto from its sheath.

Jinta's eyes widened, "You're going to kill him boss?"

"I'm not certain yet. I have no idea what I might face and it's better to be prepared in any case. Now go!"

He watched them leave before turning back to the shattered shaft and hoped that Tessai was still alright down there, "Come on, where are you?"

Something emerged from the pillar of light and crashed into the ground several meters away. Kisuke tensed and narrowed his eyes when the smoke cleared and showed Ichigo, still wearing his normal clothes as a soul, just standing there.

"Are you truly Ichigo?" he asked without letting down his guard.

Ichigo didn't answer Kisuke. He was too busy inspecting his body for any signs of injury. After thoroughly checking over every inch of his body he turned to the shopkeeper with an evil grin. It took Kisuke a moment to realize what Ichigo planned to do but it was too late for him to do anything before he was hit in the face by a rock.

"Gah! My nose!"

Ichigo's eye twitched in annoyance as the shopkeeper rolled around pathetically on the ground, "Get the hell over yourself hat-and-clogs! You have a lot of explaining to do for that stunt you tried to pull on me!"

"Explaining? But you broke my nose! My beautiful, beautiful nose!"

"Pull yourself together! Damn it, you're almost as pathetic as a heartless."

Kisuke stopped rolling around on the ground as soon as Ichigo had mentioned the heartless. Pushing his body into a sitting position, Kisuke stared daggers at Ichigo, "Tell me about everything that happened. Do no skip any details."


	2. Chapter 2: Key to the World

_I find myself impressed by the amount of interest this story has generated from only a single chapter. As I post this continuation, the first chapter of __**Key through the Soul **__has 12 reviews. I even had several people PM me with compliments and ideas about my story. Thank you for the continued interest. While I started this story as an experiment I will continue it due to the expressed interest as promised and I will continue to do so as long as people want to read it. Here are responses to several of the reviews I received. _

_**Jack Tennant:**__ I am afraid things will not go as you think or hope._

_**GirlAnimePrincess: **__No problems so far. After this chapter I'm going to start to plan out Ichigo's journey/quest/adventure._

_**Fadedlies: **__Yes he could, if he already had bankai and his hollow powers but this Ichigo is basically "base-Ichigo." Byakuya Kuchiki has stripped him of all his shinigami powers given to him by Rukia and he did not receive any from the shattered shaft. For all intensive purposes he is a normal human that can interact with the dead…for the moment._

_**Uber Prinny Lord:**__ Thanks!_

_**Alliance Empire: **__A little bit of both. Some of the canon worlds from Kingdom Hearts will most definitely make an appearance but I'm going to also include worlds from non-Disney or Square games, manga/anime, and movies._

_**Dragonlord001:**__ Don't worry about that. The interest in this story is great enough to inspire me to keep writing it!_

_The worlds that Ichigo will eventually visit are not going to be stuck just in the worlds introduced in the Kingdom Hearts series. While some of them will make appearances several worlds will be replaced with…Darker versions. A good comparison is looking at Disney's __Alice in Wonderland__ versus __American McGee's Alice__. Both have the same protagonist and setting but everything else is entirely different. I just can't see Ichigo going to such a…cheery world as Disney's Alice. You can also compare __Silent Hill__ with __Peter Pan__. Peter Pan takes place in a world where children/adults never grow up and face the problems that life gives them while Silent Hill is a town that does not let you leave until you face your inner evils or die. Silent Hill forces you to meet your problems head on whether you want to or not. There are other comparisons I could make but I'm sure some of you want to be surprised by where I go with the story. I am willing to accept ideas for worlds that Ichigo can visit but if you do so please make a reasonable comparison to a canon Kingdom Hearts world._

_Some of what I say about the Bleach universe in this chapter will make a lot of sense once you think about it. Also a lot of the bleach cast will not make it out of the upcoming chapters. Ichigo will have to leave his world eventually and the method in which he does may not be so…nice. It is said that the end of the world is a messy affair after all. Light and Darkness. Balance is the key. Now…on with the story._

**Updated: October 8, 2013**

* * *

**...**

* * *

"And that's it then? There's nothing else you remember?"

"I already told you all I remember. The rest of it is just a big blur."

That wasn't the truth but Ichigo felt that there were some things he needed to keep secret from everyone, including Kisuke, for the moment. He couldn't explain it but he felt that telling anyone what he saw would be very, very bad not just for him but for everyone he knew. It may have been safe enough to mention the heartless he encountered but everything else he either lied about or claimed he didn't remember.

Ichigo stared across the table at Kisuke Urahara, who hadn't stopped writing down notes since sitting down, "Hey Kisuke, why are you so interested in these heartless things anyway? Wasn't it all just something I thought up in my head or something?"

Kisuke grinned and snapped the notepad closed, "Just because I'm a humble candy shop owner doesn't mean I don't have other interests. I do have a life you know. I suppose I should start at the beginning. Before I joined the Gotei 13, which is a story for another time, I-"

"Wait a second. You were a shinigami?"

Ichigo received a kick in the shin for an answer, "Like I said, that's a story for another time. Please do not interrupt me when I'm talking. Now, where was I? Oh yes! In the years before becoming a shinigami I was fascinated by the ancient legends of the Soul Society. You would think that a dimension filled with the souls of the dead wouldn't have mythological themes but I digress. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I wanted to see where it all began. Humans, as you know, evolved over the course of millions of years. How could the Soul Society exist before humans do? As I dug deeper and deeper I discovered something that has troubled me for nearly three centuries – the existence of hollows."

"Haven't hollows always existed?" Ichigo asked perplexed.

"Ah…" Urahara raised a finger knowingly, "That is just what everyone believes. The true origins of hollow may be far, far more sinister and bleak."

"What?"

Urahara's eyes disappeared beneath the lip of his hat, "It wasn't until you described your experience in the shattered shaft that I figured it all out. As you already know, hollows are born from souls unable or unwilling to pass on to the Soul Society. That in itself is true but for the most part only human souls turn into hollows. There are a couple of species of animal hollows, mostly dogs and higher intelligent creatures, but they are almost never aggressive. A long forgotten legend of the Soul Society claims that when the first shinigami came into existence the Soul King, God if you will, created hollows to challenge and prevent him from becoming arrogant with power."

"One of the more commonly known myths is that the first shinigami appeared nearly four thousand years ago amidst attacks by hollows," Kisuke stood up and walked over to a shelf and began searching through a stack of papers, "It took my several decades of accumulating data whenever I could but your experience in the shattered shaft was the final piece of the puzzle. I think after seeing all the evidence it is safe to say that hollows did not, in fact, exist before shinigami."

Ichigo broke out into a cold sweat, "What are you implying Kisuke? That shinigami created hollows?"

"You're a smart kid Ichigo, think about it. Hollows crave souls, both living and dead, to devour. If they had existed before shinigami could slay and purify them then there wouldn't be anything left. The Human World and the Soul Society would be empty of everything except ravenous hollows."

"I get that! But what you suggest makes no sense! How could hollow have sprung into existence just like that?"

"It actually should make perfect sense to you," Urahara said seriously and turned his head partly around, "You should have noticed the similarities between hollows and the creatures you described to me…"

Something clicked in his mind and Ichigo couldn't believe that he hadn't seen the similarities sooner, "Are you saying that hollows and those heartless things are the same creatures?"

"Not quite," Urahara drawled, "What I think-"

"Boss! I have returned with what you needed."

Both of them turned as Tessai slid open the door and stumbled into the room looking as if he just came from a war. His once clean clothes were covered in scratches and burns and his skin looked like one big bruise, "I apologize for my tardiness but breaking through the seals surrounding the Soul Society was much more difficult then I anticipated. I barely made it through the barrier encompassing the Daireishokairo without losing my life. It is safe to say the Seireitei has not forgotten after all this time."

"I knew I could count on you Tessai. Did you manage to find what I asked for?"

"Yes," Tessai reached into the bag on his back and pulled out a thick scroll, "I found it in the very depths of the archives. The security around this was surprisingly powerful. I do not believe anyone could have bypassed the protective and barrier kidos protecting it without your insight."

Ichigo was growing more interested by the second, "Hey Kisuke, what's in that scroll?"

"Just something I hope will explain everything." Urahara gathered spiritual energy into his hands and began weaving them through the air in a complicated fashion. After nearly a minute Ichigo heard something similar to a lock opening. Urahara cautiously reached with his hand and carefully unraveled the scroll. He may have deactivated the outer protective kido but that did not mean there weren't surprises waiting for him inside, "It appears to be safe now. Let's see what this thing can tell us…"

"What does it say?" Ichigo asked.

Urahara raised a hand to silence him as he poured over the text, "I'm having trouble reading it myself Ichigo. It appears to be written in an ancient dialect of the Soul Society, one that I am not aware existed but I think I got the gist of it. I'm afraid I'm going to need your input here Ichigo. Does this thing look familiar to you?"

Ichigo peered over the table at the scroll and was nearly floored by the perfect drawing of the imp-like heartless he fought. While some aspects of it were demonized and not true, like the mouth full of razor sharp and bloody teeth, it was close enough to not be a coincidence, "Yeah, that's one of the heartless I saw."

"The scroll refers to the heartless as the 'living darkness.' Perhaps it is simply a different name for the same creature but I don't like to make assumptions like that. I think that…oh my…"

"What?" Ichigo was nervous.

"Sometimes I curse my intelligence. I think I know exactly how hollows came into existence," Urahara pulled out a piece of paper, "Imagine this paper represents the world and everyone on it. As you can see it is whole and complete. Now let us suppose that some catastrophic event happens and all the darkness on the world suddenly vanish. If the darkness had been a vital and integral part of the world up to that point what do you suppose would happen to the world if it suddenly disappeared?"

Kisuke emphasized his point by ripping the piece of paper in half, "Without the darkness, as well as the heartless, the world was thrown out of balance. Whether we like the idea or not the heartless represented an important piece of the world. Destroying them caused the world to literally become unstable and tear at the seams. This instability let to whatever original world existed to split into three new realms: the World of the Living, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. I conjecture that out of those three only the World of the Living resembles the primordial realm."

Ichigo's throat was dry as he tried to gather his thoughts. While what Kisuke had said had really thrown him threw a loop he couldn't help but think it made a lot of sense to him, "There's just one thing I don't get Kisuke. How did this lead to the creation of hollows? They don't feel anything like heartless."

"You bring up an excellent question Ichigo," Kisuke adjusted his hat, allowing it to cast his eyes in shadows, "I think that even after the world split apart it was still unstable. Hollows may simply be an attempt to recreate the heartless but it looks like they didn't quite work out. Thus shinigami were made to counterbalance the influence of hollows. That is why I think the shinigami's crusade to eradicate every single hollow is fundamentally flawed. Our very existence is tied to that of hollows. Destroy one and the other will soon follow."

"What about the quincy?" Ichigo felt as if he was missing something important, "Where do they fit into all of this?"

Urahara didn't answer his question, "Ichigo go home and get some rest. I'm going to need some time to decipher everything this scroll has to say. Stop by tomorrow after school and if I have any luck I'll have more to tell you."

Ichigo was about to argue when a buzzing in his pocket distracted him. Pulling out his cell phone and reading the text he frowned and stood up, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then Kisuke."

"Be careful Ichigo," Urahara cautioned, "This is potentially the biggest upset in the balance between the worlds since the beginning of recorded history. I have no doubts that we will be receiving uninvited guests soon. Stay low and out of trouble unless your life depends on it."

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 2: Key to the World**

Instead of heading straight home like Urahara suggested Ichigo decided to take the long way home. He had much to think about and walking always seemed to help him gather his thoughts. While passing through the deserted night streets of Karakura Town Ichigo couldn't believe how much his life had changed in the last month. Before becoming a substitute shinigami, before meeting Rukia, he had been just a simply high school student with simply problems and nothing more complicated in his life then trying to figure out what college to go to. Of course there had been the occasional pesky spirit but even that became normal after a while. Now he was dealing with monsters that ate souls, other monsters that stole hearts and souls with the power of gods. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his luck. He was fifteen years old. He shouldn't have to deal with this saving the world crap.

"_As if I didn't have enough on my mind with shinigami and hollows. Now there are heartless as well? At least they don't seem to be as strong as hollows. Perhaps if I just forget about them the problem will go away."_

He must have been lost in his thoughts for a while because when Ichigo looked around he was standing in the middle of the bridge spanning the Karasu River. Putting his hands in his pockets Ichigo stared out over the darkened waters and breathed in the cool night air.

"_Perhaps all that was just my zanpakuto test and I failed? But why would Kisuke be so worried afterwards? Damn…this is making no sense."_

There was one thing that bugged Ichigo above all else. As long as he could remember he had a feeling that there was more out and he needed to explore it. His father, in one of his rare moments of actual parenthood, had explained that Ichigo was simply tired of being in Karakura Town and needed to see the world. That summer his entire family had gone on a road trip around Japan and the urge to explore dimmed within his soul. That feeling that there was more out there had returned and he couldn't shake it. His experiences in his mind and fighting the heartless had convinced him that this world was simply the tip of the iceberg.

"_Man I'm over thinking things. I'm probably just worried about Rukia and how I'm going to rescue her."_

"Just give us your money old man!"

"_That sounds like trouble." _Ichigo turned around and raced back down the way he came. Sliding around a corner he saw five punks kicking someone huddled feebly on the ground. Without a second thought he ran over and clotheslined two of them before t hey knew he was even there.

"Toshi! Yama!"

"Eh?" Ichigo scratched his head. He could have sword those names sounded familiar, "You look familiar. Haven't I kicked your asses before?"

"Oh crap it's you!" a third member of the gang backed up fearfully once he recognized Ichigo, "We haven't knocked over that dead girl's shrine since you warned us so there's no need to kick our asses!"

Ichigo's fist slammed into the punk's face, sending him flying through the air, "Oh yeah…I remember now."

The remaining members stared in shock, "Mit! Just who the hell are you, you bastard?"

"Look here," Ichigo cracked his knuckles for emphasis, "I'm not in a good mood right now. And as for your friends there, I once kicked their asses for knocking over a shrine by accident. What do you think I'll do to you for beating up someone on _purpose_?"

"L-Let's get out of here guys!"

Ichigo didn't bother watching the five punks flee. He had more pressing matters. If he wanted to finish his business with them he could easily find them another day. Rushing over to the injured man he helped him sit up and asked, "Are you ok? Do you need me to call for help?"

"No, that won't be necessary," the elderly man said, "I'll be fine. I just didn't expect the children in this place to be so…so…"

"Disrespectful?" Ichigo offered.

The old man laughed, "I was going to say thuggish or psychotic but that can work too."

When the old man winced and grabbed his side Ichigo grew worried, "Are you sure you're ok? My father's a doctor and my home's not too far away."

"I'm not as frail as I look boy," he admonished Ichigo, "Just help me over to that bench and I'll be fine."

Ichigo did as he was told and helped the old man to the bench. As he caught his breath Ichigo noticed that his overall appearance was quite strange. Just by his darker skin tone he realized the man wasn't from Japan or anywhere nearby. Perhaps he was a tourist that found out the hard way how dangerous Karakura Town could be at night? When that incessant buzzing in his pocket acted up again he reluctantly turned to head back home, "Listen…you're welcome for the help. I'm glad your alright and all but I have to head home. It's getting kind of late."

The old man's fingers twitched as he scoffed, "You helped an old man avoid an early grave. I think that balances out being late. I appreciate your help from the deepest reaches of my heart and wish to reward you for your services."

"Reward?"

The man coughed before reaching into his pocket, "I have this trinket that I want you to have. It belonged to an acquaintance of mine that no longer needs it I'm afraid. I had originally planned to give it to an apprentice but alas, time is a fickle mistress and I have grown too old."

Ichigo suddenly felt both nervous and embarrassed, "What about your family?"

"The pursuit of knowledge leaves little room for personal attachments," the old man explained with a shake of his head, "Something that I have only learned about in this final years. I would be grateful if someone like you would take this as a token of my appreciation."

Ichigo hesitatingly took the small trinket and examined it. Upon first glance it looked like some gaudy piece of jewelry he sometimes sees on late night commercials but when he looked closer it did, in fact, seem like some priceless heirloom. It was composed of a stylized red heart embroidered within a set of silver wings that wrapped and flanked around it. Putting the trinket in his pocket Ichigo felt as if he were stealing it from the old man, "This thing has to be priceless. I don't feel right taking it from you for just stopping a group of punks. It wasn't anything special."

"Nothing special?" the old man looked directly at him and Ichigo noticed his eyes were amber in color, "Let me tell you something I have learned from my travels. I have met people who would do anything to grab power even if it meant staining their own hearts black as well as people who were so afraid of responsibility that they shied away from anything remotely important in fear of failing. You selflessly rushed to my aid against five potentially armed punks without so much as thought to your own wellbeing. Your heart truly was in the right place."

"Thanks…I guess. You new to Karakura Town?"

The man nodded, "I flew in earlier today. This is such a marvelous town if one ignores the random muggings."

"I wouldn't worry about those idiots. They know me well enough to never come near you again."

"Indeed," the old man chuckled.

Something seemed off about the man but Ichigo couldn't place it. When his pocket buzzed once again he pulled out his phone and frowned, "It seems that my dad is starting to get upset."

"Ah…" the old man raised a hand in understanding, "No need to say anything further. But if it will not trouble you, may I please know the name of my rescuer?"

"It's Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki."

The old man seemed pensive and stroked his chin, "That's such a strange name for a boy. A strong name that you lived up to but still strange. As a courtesy I shall share with you my name but I should warn you. It is a bit strange as well."

"It can't be any stranger than mine," Ichigo deadpanned, "When I first went to middle school people thought I was a girl for two weeks."

"I don't think I can beat that," the old man admitted, "For as long as I have pursued knowledge people have called me Xehanort."

* * *

...

* * *

In a dimension hidden deep within the Soul Society, beneath layers upon layers of kido barriers and seals both common and forbidden, underneath the very antechamber of the Soul King himself existed a small and bare room no larger than a closet. Some may wonder why a room that small, devoid of anything and everything, was perhaps the most well-guarded location in all three realms. If one were somehow able to break into the Soul King Palace, shatter the protective kido, defeat the royal guards and the Soul King himself and enter the room all they would find in the room is a peculiar shaped hole in the far wall.

A carving in the shape of a keyhole.

This peculiar decoration that seemed to hold no power was the very reason the Soul King sequestered himself and those close to him in a separate dimension, a dimension one could only travel into with his express permission or by committing one of the most despicable acts imaginable. For the past five thousand years he had spent all his time guarding this keyhole from everything and everyone. No one knew that it existed except for him and an old scripture he had written thousands of years ago before he obtained his vast power.

He did not know what the keyhole contained or what it unlocked but he knew that it should never be touched. It was his own kido that powered the wards guarding it, barriers and shields strong enough to keep even himself from entering it. He did not want someone to gain his power and break through his kidos despite how incredibly small that chance was. He had to, no needed to think of every possibility. He had to plan for every situation that can or will occur. For if he failed and the room with the keyhole was compromised by the darkness the world would end.

Or so he was told by those that came before.

He did not remember who they were for it was such a long time since that they had stepped foot on his world. Back then he had been but a mere human with nothing special about him but the ability to fight the living darkness as he called it. He remembered strange warriors arriving in ships from the stars that could vanquish the living darkness and prevent them from returning. It had been a long and bloody war between the darkness and those warriors but they had prevailed and won. The darkness had been completely destroyed and the warriors departed, but not before bestowing upon him his incredible power and the purpose of guarding the keyhole from all threats. He had asked why they hadn't closed the keyhole but the warriors wouldn't give him an answer. They had silently departed and the world was fine. At least for a while.

The first sign of trouble occurred five hundred years later when the dimension split into three. Before that moment the living and dead roamed the world side-by-side in peace. Those that sinned in life were chained to the hellish desert of Hueco Mundo until their sins were cleansed while souls spent their time in the Soul Society, a paradise that once existed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. When the split occurred the Soul King was completely stunned at this and found his powers ineffective and fixing the world.

Five hundred years after that the first hollow appeared.

At first the Soul King thought it was one of the living darkness but when he witnessed firsthand a soul transform into a hollow he knew it was something else. He tried to destroy it but whenever he did ten more would appear to take its place. It was to his luck that the shinigami appeared before the hollows could run rampant. For hundreds of years the shinigami and hollow clashed throughout all three realms, leading to an untold number of deaths. Eventually he had intervened. While unable to actually stop hollows being created he was able to use his powers to make them always head to Hueco Mundo upon creation. With that problem solved he turned his attention back to the keyhole. Everything seemed to be getting worse and his job protecting it would be that much harder with the hollow problem.

Thus were the Seireitei and the Royal Palace dimension born. He had taken those primordial shinigami, who could tear apart and purify hollows with their bare hands, and commanded them to create a base of power in the Soul Society. He ordered them to police the world of the living for any hollows that go there and stop them from eating souls while also sending souls to the afterlife. He expressively forbade them from invading Hueco Mundo for he did not have any foresight into what happened in that realm since the dimensional split. Before disappearing into his special protected dimension he gave them one final order. He told them that his existence was the lynchpin of the world and his death would mean the end of everything in existence. That was not necessary the truth but if he were to die, there would be nothing left to safeguard the keyhole and the world would truly end. His existence was required to keep the world from plunging into the darkness.

The Soul King may have slumbered but he was constantly aware of the state of the Soul Society as well as the Human World. Despite his best efforts over the millennia his sight was still blocked from Hueco Mundo but that was not what caused him to wake up. No, what awakened him, which sent his attendants into a tizzy, was a vaguely familiar burst of energy. It had been such a long time since he had felt that energy that his mind could not recall just what its name was.

"_**Magic…"**_ he thought and turned his eyes to one of his prostrate retainers.

It hadn't been long after ordering the creation of the Seireitei that he realized something vital. With his attention constantly on the lookout for the living darkness as well as guarding the keyhole he himself was vulnerable to attack. It was at that instant that he ordered the creation of the Zero Division or the Royal Guard. A group of elite shinigami whose sole purpose would be to guard him from attack. Of course he needed them to be special in their own ways and thus only picked the members from those who have contributed vastly to the Soul Society. The creation of the zanpakuto, artificial souls, water with extensive healing properties…all those were contributions that led their creators to join the Royal Guard.

"You're awake my king?" the retainer asked in surprise.

The Soul King looked at the man and whispered, **"Bring me my guards…"**

As the man disappeared in a burst of shunpo to relay his orders to the Royal Guard the Soul King wondered why such familiar energy would appear now. What was so special that something like that, something that hadn't existed for over five thousand years on this world, come back into being now? Was there something he could not see? He was not a god, despite what the shinigami thought, and so was fallible to an extent. This was a problem that he needed to fix or at the very least investigate before it got out of hand. The keyhole must be protected at all costs. He could not afford to be distracted by anything. Some might call him cruel or vindictive for such a view of the world but the Soul King knew just how terrifying the living darkness was and what it brought. If sacrifices needed to be made, and he wished it would not come to that, then they would be made.

The status quo must be maintained for the world to survive.

* * *

...

* * *

Ichigo had to give his father credit where it was due. He was definitely becoming more imaginative in his surprise attacks. Before he was even halfway up the walkway to his home the front door burst open and he found his arms bound to his body by a lasso.

"What the-?"

Inside the front door and slowly reeling in the rope was Isshin Kurosaki, his father and all-around pain in the ass, "And just where have you been slacking off to all night young man?"

Instead of answering Ichigo raised a leg and brought his foot down on the rope. Isshin, not expecting something like that, stumbled forward and received a foot in his face. Without his father to hold it taunt, the ropes easily slid off his body and onto the ground "What sane person ties up their son with rope? Are you out of your mind?"

"You…" Isshin shouted, somersaulted to his feet, and tried to kick Ichigo in retaliation, "…Did not answer my question young man!"

Ducking beneath the foot Ichigo grabbed his father's leg and slammed his body into the ground, "All night? It's only ten o'clock!"

"Time has no meaning!" Isshin quickly recovered and smashed his forehead into Ichigo's face, "When a father orders you to come home you do so right away! I texted you three hours ago! What crimes have you been committing in that time? Who have you hurt or robbed young man?"

"That was you?" Ichigo countered. Grabbing his father in a headlock he smashed Isshin's face into the carpet, "Then why did you write 'stay far away from home all night' and on Karin's phone no less?"

Isshin surprisingly broke out of Ichigo's hold and began sobbing into his hands, "Oh Masaki! Our son has corrupted one of your daughters with his thuggish behavior!"

"Oh shut up!" Ichigo shouted and planted his foot into his father's back, "If it was that important why didn't you just call me like you always do?"

"That is because…" Isshin spun around and tackled Ichigo, "…you should have known it was your father all along! I made sure that Karin sent that text with all the love and affection I could fit into it. Oh my son, how did you grow up to become such a delinquent?"

"Delinquent?" Ichigo growled and struggled to free himself, "Who the hell are you to call me that?"

"Huh?" Isshin looked confused before chuckling, "Aha! Trying to trick your old man with reverse psychology eh? Well that's not going to work this time. Oh Masaki…I have lost control of our son that you so lovingly raised. What am I to do with him?"

Ichigo took the opportunity to pick up a chair and slam it over him father's head as he prayed in front of the large poster of his mother, "If you really want to know, get rid of that stupid poster first! If you need me, and I seriously hope you don't, I'm going to bed."

"Hey Ichigo," his father somberly said before he could leave the room, "Is everything alright?"

Ichigo subconsciously moved his hand towards the trinket in his pocket, "Eh? What you are talking about?"

Isshin sat up and rubbed the back of his neck where Ichigo had hit him with the chair, "It's just…you seem kind of down tonight. Is there anything you would like to talk about?"

Rather then respond with an answer Ichigo scoffed and dismissively waved his hand, "That hit to your head must have given you a concussion if you're acting normal. Perhaps you should go to the hospital."

"Hmm…perhaps."

Ichigo quickly headed towards his room before anything more could be said. While his father was a goofball and an idiot most of the time he was someone that he could confide in. The problem was that he didn't know what was bothering him. Sure the whole saving Rukia from being executed in the Soul Society weighed heavily on his chest but he had Kisuke and his little helpers to talk to about that. He wouldn't even know where to begin with his father.

After brushing his teeth and quickly changing Ichigo laid on his bed, hands folded behind his head, and stared at his ceiling. There was too much on his mind to fall asleep. Every time he tried to he found himself assaulted with images from his experience in the shattered shaft. Kisuke had said that the inner world was a manifestation of a shinigami's soul so what did everything he witnessed and experienced mean? First he was falling through the sky towards an endless ocean, then he found himself in the middle of who knows where fighting a magical monster that could shoot lasers and destroy ships that came out of the future and what was the deal with that mysterious voice that kept giving him cryptic advice?

"_Ugh, why did this have to happen to me? I'm barely a teenager, I'm not cut out for this hero crap. That settles it. Once I save Rukia I'm going to retire and go back to being a normal high school student."_

While all that was confusing to Ichigo there was something else that weighed heavily on his mind. Looking at his nightstand, he reached over and grabbed the trinket the old man had given him. Turning it over several times he couldn't figure out what it was about the old man…Xehanort…that bothered him. Sure that name was unique and utterly ridiculous but that wasn't what troubled him. Ichigo had saved other people from muggers and gangs in the past, sometimes with Chad's help, but this time it felt different but he couldn't place why.

"_Wait a second…"_ Ichigo tossed the trinket into the air and harshly caught it, _"When I came over to help Xehanort those punks had been kicking him for at least a minute but he didn't have a scratch or bruise on him. It was almost as if he wasn't hurt at all."_

A strange feeling of vertigo suddenly washed over Ichigo and his mind spun as the colors of his darkened room bled away. After a moment everything came back to him in a burst of light and he found himself back in that strange shadowy realm and in his normal clothes once again. Picking himself up off the ground he noticed that this latest station had a picture of a white phantom-like being covered head to toe with eerie purple eyes and a gem embedded in his chest, "Great. Now why am I back in this place?"

"**There is little time and much for you to learn."**

"What are you talking about?"

"**Draw your weapon. You will need it for the trial ahead."**

Ichigo frowned, "I'll say it again. What the hell are you talking about this time?"

His question was answered when he picked up the sound of something landing lightly on the station behind him. Ichigo turned around and found himself standing across from a woman wearing some sort of form-fitting white uniform similar to a shinigami's shihakushō but at the same time appeared to be more modern and sleek. She had long blue-green hair, light brown eyes, and appeared to be wearing a ram's skull on her head. What drew Ichigo's attention was the deadly katana strapped her to waist. The woman stared at Ichigo for a few seconds before slowly and deliberately drawing her katana from its sheath.

"Hold on just a moment!" Ichigo shouted and backpedalled away from the woman.

"**You will encounter those that have surrendered themselves to the darkness for power, their hearts forever stained black with corruption," **the black daito that he had wielded in his previous dream reappeared in his right hand in a burst of light, **"You will meet those that have embraced the purest of light but fail to see the flaws it creates within their soul. You mustn't fear either of them. Balance is the key."**

"Balance is the key? What the hell does that-"

Ichigo threw himself to the side as the woman rushed across the illuminated stained glass. As her katana arced through the empty air just millimeters from his body he was blown back by the sheer force of the attack. Rolling to a stop he picked himself off the ground and grimaced.

"_Where the hell is all her strength coming from? Who is she?"_

"**She is but a reflection of another time,"** the mysterious voice answered, **"A silhouette of a person that will not come to pass. You need not concern yourself with what is not to be."**

Ichigo dodged around the woman's blade as it came swinging down, cutting through the air as well as a few locks of his orange hair. As soon as he noticed the woman's katana embedded in the platform Ichigo took the opportunity to jump away and put some distance between them. Instead of attacking him as he expected the woman calmly tore her blade out of the ground in a cascade of glass shards and stared at him. Momentarily confused by her reaction Ichigo raised his daito defensively to ward off any incoming attack but he could not have foreseen her simply _vanishing_ from sight.

"_The hell?"_

Ichigo had to thank his experience with that Byakuya guy just the other day. It was the only reason he avoided being beheaded by the woman's attack. After finding himself at the mercy of an opponent with superior speed Ichigo came to the realization that sometimes you just have to move before being attacked. Trying to defend against someone you can't see is pointless. As soon as she disappeared from his sight Ichigo ducked and immediately felt the telltale sound of a blade passing just over his head. Rolling forward and twisting around he managed to parry the following attack in a shower of sparks. Gritting his teeth and pushing with all his strength Ichigo tried to repulse the woman's katana but found himself slowly being forced back.

Before he could react, the woman reversed the direction of her katana and forced Ichigo off balance. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps but recovered quickly enough to parry and block her next salvo. As he avoided being skewered and stabbed Ichigo felt his arms quickly grow tired and was certain his daito would break from the force of her attacks.

"_How can she keep going at this strength? She's hitting me with more power than that Renji guy but she doesn't seem like she's putting that much effort into the fight. Is just toying with me?"_

One slip. All it took for everything to fall apart was for his right foot to misstep. Ichigo's eyes widened in fear as he felt his defenses crumble from his lack of footing. Gasping he threw his body to the side but felt a stab of pain as the woman's sword nicked his ear. Thinking she temporarily hyper extended her arm he tried to counterattack. Just as he readjusted his grip on his daito to attack he noticed the woman's katana, which had been pointing to his left just a second ago, sparking along the ground.

"Damn it!"

Ichigo doubled his grip on his daito and used his other hand as a brace as their weapons collided. While his improvised block managed to save him from being bisected, the force behind the strike was enough to nearly shattered the bones in his arms and propelled him into the air. Gasping for breathe Ichigo looked down and noticed the woman was gone. Realizing what she was going to do he spun around just as the woman reappeared behind him and smirked when he made contact with her skin. Satisfaction quickly turned to shock as he saw sparks being emitted along the point of contact, leaving her perfect skin unblemished.

"What the f-"

His curse was cut off when her left hand grabbed him by the throat. Unable to speak or even breathe Ichigo was helpless as she spun around in the air and slammed his body back down onto the platform, cracking it. With his throat free of the woman's vice-like grip and his vision filled with blackness Ichigo was free to cough up blood. As he desperately cleared his throat of all offending fluids he grimaced when he sensed the woman land nearby. He glared at her as she raised her katana to end the battle, her dull and lifeless eyes betraying none of her thoughts.

"_Damn it! I won't let it end like this!"_

Mustering all of his remaining strength, Ichigo managed to raise the daito just as the woman swung her katana down. The two weapons met in a shower of sparks and when her blade's momentum was stalled Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. Relief turned into terror as the katana became coated in purple energy and exploded outwards through the station. As the dust settled Ichigo opened his eyes and at first thought he was fine. Attempting to look around his neck hit the woman's katana, embedded several inches into the stained glass and only a centimeter from his artery.

"_I need to think of something quickly. I don't think I'll be able to stop her next attack,"_ Ichigo desperately thought as he tried in vain to push the woman off his body before she could try to stab him again. The woman brushed him off with little effort and once again gripped his throat with a hand. Staring him directly in the eyes she raised her katana to the side and prepared to stab it right through his head.

Taking a lesson from many years of living with his insane father Ichigo reared his head back and slammed it into the woman's forehead. If there was one thing his father taught him from his many attacks is was that the forehead is extremely sensitive to pain. Even if he couldn't pierce her skin she should have still felt that. As expected the woman's grip around his neck loosened and he immediately backpedaled away from her and held his own, now bleeding, forehead. Despite the massive headache Ichigo now had one thing he did not have the entire fight: time to think.

Wiping a trail of blood from his own forehead Ichigo glared at the woman. Tightening his grip on his daito he watched her stumbled in pain and tried to think of a plan to beat her_, "She outclasses me in both strength and speed and her skin is like steel. If I don't think of something before she recovers I'm going to die."_

Coming up with nothing but unwilling to allow her the time necessary to recover Ichigo rushed forward to attack. Swinging his daito downward he grit his teeth in anger when her tough skin once again forced the blade to rebound off her skin. Undeterred he struck her several more times only for the same result to happened. Anger rising Ichigo tightly gripped the hilt of his daito with both hands and raised it over his head. Swinging down with all his might he was shocked when the woman's hand shot up and grabbed the blade with her gloved hand as if it wasn't even a threat. As sparks shot off into the air from the two opposing forces meeting Ichigo missed her other palm shooting forward into his stomach.

"Ugh!"

Ichigo's body contorted on itself before he was blown away. His body skipped along the station as blood and spittle flew out of his mouth. Dragging his daito along the stained glass floor he managed to arrest his motion just before falling off into the black abyss. Coughing up some blood he tiredly pulled his body back onto the platform. As he shakily got to his feet, his clothing damaged and torn in several places, he saw the woman slowly walking towards him. Spitting out some bloody saliva he gave her a harsh glare and steadied his hands as best he could.

"If you're looking for me to beg for my life," he defiantly stated, "You're going to be disappointed."

The woman stared at him as blankly as ever before racing along the station towards him, her katana arcing through the air towards his neck once more.

* * *

...

* * *

As captain-commander of the Gotei 13, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was a man who had seen most of what life had to offer. Centuries of conflict and protecting the Soul Society from threats ranging from hollow incursions into the Human World to quincy rebellions has ingrained into his mind that whenever a group obtains power they will eventually use it to try and usurp the Seireitei and impose whatever order they want. Despite the lack of such fighting in the recent centuries, a record that he hoped would continue, Yamamoto was not a fool. He knew it was only a matter of time until some upstart hotshot felt like they knew more about how to run the afterlife and needed to take down the current regime to do so.

How naïve.

Huffing in indignation at the interruption to his daily schedule he stared at the man lounging in a chair across his desk, "I mean no disrespect but what is the meaning of your visit? You usually send an advance notice before you arrive."

A very tall man with an overly-exaggerated pompadour spat out the stick he was chewing on, "Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm not here for your convenience. The rest of us have already been deployed. I only received my orders from the big man himself not even an hour ago."

"It must be rather serious if all five of you are being mobilized," Yamamoto pointed out calmly but inside he was nervous. There was no feasible reason that the Soul King would have all five members of the Zero Division leave his realm. The fact that it indeed happened was a great cause for alarm, "Would you like some tea while we talk?"

"I don't have time for such trivialities," Tenjirō Kirinji scoffed, "I'm wasting enough time here talking to you as it is."

"Then perhaps you should just say what you need to say and leave."

Tenjirō let out a breath, "Finally you get it. What I'm about to tell you comes directly from the Soul King himself so pay attention because I'm not going to repeat myself."

"What?" As captain-commander of the Gotei 13 Yamamoto had only received orders from the Soul King twice. Both of which had been given when the fate of the world was in jeopardy. The first was during the original quincy uprising nearly one thousand years ago. The quincy, which had initially been a small problem had blown up into a threatening force when their leader declared himself emperor of the Soul Society and the Human World. In the ensuing war he personally fought their leader, Yhwach, but was unable to kill him before collapsing from exhaustion. Yamamoto would have considered the man his equal if not for the fact he was a genocidal maniac bent on destroying everything. The second time was during an invasion of the Human World by five vasto lorde in an attempt to conquer it. Both times the Soul King had ordered him to mobilize the Seireitei in a specific way and both times he had helped to keep the balance between the worlds.

"Huh, finally managed to shock you old man," Tenjirō chuckled momentarily before composing himself, "But this is serious business. Something has the Soul King upset and that itself is troublesome. Usually whenever he gives us our orders he fills us in on everything but he's being strangely quiet about the whole matter. I don't like it."

"That is unsettling. Tell me what you require of the Gotei 13 and we will do everything in our power to help end this crisis."

"First things first, any and all orders from the Central 46 are to be disregarded until further notice. The Soul King has a vested interest in something and will take command of the Seireitei until he deems otherwise. As for you, and those kids you call captains, we need you to do absolutely nothing."

"I don't understand," Yamamoto frowned.

"Here's the thing," Tenjirō condescendingly said, "The Soul King, he wants to have as little interference in our investigation as possible. Having your kids interfering or trying to help will only add trouble to everything. Until I come back and tell you otherwise you are to withdraw all but essential shinigami from the Human World. That means no lieutenants or captains are allowed through the senkaimon."

"…as you wish. Are you sure you don't require assistance in your investigation? The Twelfth Division may be able to help."

"Nope," Tenjirō said, "Don't flatter yourself. This is important business. Your kids don't have any reason to be involved. Keep them out of our way and everything will be fine."

As a white gate opened behind him Tenjirō sighed and stood up, "It appears that Nimaiya is right on schedule. Just remember what I said Yamamoto."

Yamamoto stood in silence as Tenjirō returned to the Soul King Palace. The moment the gate closed he slammed his fist down on his desk and shattered it in a burst of rage. How dare they treat him as if he were nothing more then a normal shinigami! Hasn't his contributions to the peace of the Soul Society been enough to garner at least respect from them? Breathing deeply to calm himself, Yamamoto walked out of his office and towards the entrance to the First Division. He needed to inform his fellow captains of what just transpired. Or at least the abridged version. They might question his orders but in all likelihood they will follow them without complaint. It would be rather difficult to come up with a plausible excuse for something of this magnitude.

As he left his office Yamamoto failed to notice the shadows in a corner shimmer off a pair of glasses.

"This is…unexpected."

* * *

...

* * *

As the woman weaved through his guard and grabbed his wrist Ichigo saw the reflection of her katana arcing through the air. Desperately attempting to avoid the strike he leaned his neck to the side but

The woman weaved through Ichigo's defenses with supernatural ease and grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip. Ichigo briefly struggled with the woman before a glint of steel arcing through the air caught his eyes.

"Damn!"

Unable to release his wrist from the woman's grip Ichigo desperately tried to lean out of the way of the fatal strike only for to feel a katana pierce through his neck and out his back. Gurgling and collapsing to his knees, he looked on with wide eyes as the darkness closed in around him. Just before he lost consciousness and his final thoughts left him he heard the mysterious voice speak to him.

"**It appears your heart is nearly strong enough to survive what's coming."**

As his vision was enveloped by the darkness Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he nearly fell out of bed. Taking a moment to catch his breath Ichigo looked around and realized he was no longer in that strange place but instead back in his room. When the memories of how he died assaulted his mind his hands shot up to his neck but found, to his relief, no wounds or blood. Running a hand down his face he looked out his window into early morning Karakura Town. With everything going on he could barely remember a time when he wasn't fighting monsters or rescuing people.

"Gah!" he hung his head dejectedly, "Why does my life suck so much?"

"Probably because you're a loser when it comes to girls but you already knew that Ichigo. I could help you with that if only you asked," a high-pitched and extremely unwanted muffled voice said. Scowling Ichigo reached under the bed and grabbed a stuffed lion plushie that was desperately trying to claw its way to freedom.

"Shut it Kon!" he threatened and squeezed the toy as much as he could, "I'm in no mood for your sick thoughts this morning."

Somehow Kon was able to look confused even with buttons for eyes, "What has you so sour this fine morning? Still upset from your bad dream?"

"_Bad dream?"_

Kon continued speaking as if he didn't see Ichigo freeze up, "But then again men like myself don't let our dreams bother us. In fact I-"

"Shut up Kon!" Ichigo growled, "Did I say anything in my sleep?"

"Say anything?" Kon scoffed, "You wouldn't shut up! It was so annoying!"

He shook the toy again, "What did I say?"

"Stop shaking me! You'll knock out my stuffing!" Ichigo reluctantly released Kon but carefully watched the mod soul's movements in case he tried to make a break for it. Picking himself up, Kon brushed some lint off his body and pointed an arm accusingly at Ichigo, "It was so annoying. You wouldn't stop talking about the strangest of things."

"Like what?"

Kon shrugged, "Something about a keyblade, heartless and some other stupid things. I left after about an hour because it was so irritating. I willingly went to Yuzu's room for the night. That's how terrible it was!"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes not out of annoyance but contemplation. He was intimately familiar with the heartless but he didn't have a clue what a keyblade was. It sounded like the stupidest weapon, _"Keyblade? Probably something Kon heard wrong. The heartless though…I'm sure I didn't see any in that place last night so why did I mention them? This is getting confusing."_

Kon jumped up and grabbed his cheek, "Hey Ichigo, aren't you going to apologize for inconveniencing me?"

"Apologize?" The mod soul realized the malicious tone in Ichigo's voice just a moment too late. Before he could jump away and flee to safety Ichigo's hand closed around his head and squeezed, "You know you aren't supposed to leave my room without permission. What if Yuzu, Karin or, heaven forbid, my dad saw you moving?"

Stomping over to the closet, Ichigo slid the door open and threw Kon inside. Ignoring the mod souls shouts and threats Ichigo got dressed and left his room feeling great. With any luck he should be able to go through the rest of the day without anything strange or lethal happening to him.

"Good morning brother!"

"Oh, hey Yuzu."

Yuzu Kurosaki, his younger sister, waved to him before going back to cooking breakfast. As the resident cook of the family she was the one that made all their meals whether they wanted her to or not. Ichigo had tried to persuade her to allow the rest of them to help her with the cooking but after one eventful evening that involved Karin and their father going to the hospital with food poisoning Yuzu had declared the kitchen off-limits to them forever. Ichigo had quickly backed off from offering to cook ever again. He never wanted to see his normally sweet and caring sister swing a butcher's knife with a smile on her face.

"Great to see you too Ichigo," a tired voice drawled out. Sitting at the table with her head resting against the cool wood surface was Yuzu's fraternal twin Karin, "I really, really hate mornings."

Karin and Yuzu have always been polar opposites, it must have been a twin thing. While Yuzu was constantly upbeat and strived to make everyone in the family happy Karin was content with being melancholy and stoic with a knack for pointing out the flaws of anyone that annoyed. Yuzu loved to get up early in the morning with a spring in her step while Karin barely drags herself downstairs without falling back asleep.

"Don't be so gloom Karin," Yuzu pleaded and set a plate full of hot food in front of her twin, "I made your favorite foods!"

"How can I not be gloomy when I feel like the walking dead. No wait, scratch that. The dead have more energy that I do."

Yuzu pouted and turned away in a huff. Watching all that with a straight face Ichigo sighed and sat down to eat. As he dug into his food he noticed something, or rather someone, missing, "Where's dad? Usually he tries to pull his crap at the break of dawn. I would be relieved if I was worried about what he might pull."

"The old goat?" Without picking her head up Karin continued, "He rushed out about an hour ago. Apparently there was a big accident downtown and every doctor was being called in."

"I hope no one's hurt!" the ever sensitive Yuzu added.

"Hey Ichigo aren't you going to be late for school?"

"What?" he turned to the clock and scowled, "Damn. I'll just take something for the road. Tell dad I'll be back later tonight if you see him."

Grabbing his backpack Ichigo walked down the street towards Karakura High School. Chewing on his toast his mind replayed the fight has the woman again and again. There was something about her that seem familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. He knew for a fact he had never seen her before last night but she just seemed like someone he should know. His mind told him she was a complete stranger with no name but he felt as if her name was on the tip of his tongue. It was just so frustrating to be this confused.

"_Ugh. Who was that woman and why did she seem so familiar? I'm sure I would remember someone with green hair."_

"Excuse me but are you Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ichigo stopped walking as a sense of foreboding permeated his body. Unwilling to turn around and face whoever was there he frowned and looked around. He couldn't believe he had fallen for such an obvious trap. His mind must be really screwed up by all the recent events to have missed something so obvious. Noticing the usually busseling streets were bare of a single soul he slightly turned his head.

"What did you do with the people who lived here?"

"I am appalled that you would suggest I was capable of such a despicable act," the voice replied in a slightly offended tone but Ichigo did not turn around, "All I did was cast a kido that created an exact duplicate of the surrounded area down to the finest of details. The moment you entered the perimeter I transported you here and out of the way. I do not like to cause collateral damage or take innocent lives. I will ask you a second time. Are you Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"Who's asking?"

Out of the corner of his eye Ichigo recognized the woman as a shinigami from the way she was dressed. Despite his lack of powers he could tell she was strong. The spiritual pressure he could sense was palpable. Not even the shinigami that was with Renji felt this strong. Whoever the woman was, she did not look that much older then himself and had her long black hair done up with a golden ornament in the shape of a crescent moon. When nearly a dozen puppet-like arms emerged from beneath the large white robe she was wearing Ichigo involuntary took a step back. The woman almost seemed saddened by his reaction and covered her mouth with a sleeve.

"I see that you are able to sense my spiritual pressure despite having no shinigami abilities of your own. On any other day I would be impressed and allow you to live but alas, I have my orders so do forgive me for what I am about to do." The woman slowly walked towards him and Ichigo knew there was no way he could fight her, "Since I have to kill you to maintain the balance of the world I deem you worthy to know my name. I am Senjumaru Shutara and please try to hold still. I want your death to be as quick and painless as possible."

As several swords materialized into her extra appendages Ichigo took a step back. Only one thought passed through his mind, _"Crap."_

* * *

_..._

* * *

Kisuke's green haori fluttered violently as a wave of spiritual pressure blew past him. Holding on to his bucket hat unless he wanted to have to chase it down he looked across the landscape as a translucent green barrier flashed into existence, "Well Tessai, it seems like the Soul King moved faster than even I anticipated. I didn't even have enough time to prepare the appropriate countermeasures."

Tessai stood besides Kisuke, "To be able to enact a forbidden space-time kido with such magnitude without the incantation…they are truly monsters. What shall be our next course of action?"

"As of this moment nothing," Urahara sighed and adjusted his hat. He hated the rare moments where his vast intellect was all but useless, "Without knowing the whereabouts of the kido stabilizing units as well as the exact incantations used I'm afraid it will be impossible to break into a kido of such magnitude without killing ourselves in the process. It pains me to admit this but Ichigo is on his own."

"Hmm," Tessai stared at where he knew the barrier to be. After years of studying the most forbidden and powerful of kido his eyes have grown sharp enough to notice the normally invisible kido, "But what would they want with Ichigo? He has done nothing to warrant such a severe response. If anything they should be coming after you or myself."

"I'm afraid it's actually not that simple," Kisuke said with absolute seriousness in his voice, "I spent all night studying and translating the scroll you brought me. It was only as dawn came that I realized I made a terrible mistake it allowing Ichigo to leave my shop last night. You remember what I told Ichigo last night, don't you?"

Tessai nodded and Kisuke took that as his queue to continue, "It turns out that the shattered shaft worked entirely as intended. Ichigo did receive his latent powers from the shaft. The only problem is that it wasn't shinigami powers that he obtained."

"What are you implying Kisuke?"

"The scroll was kind of vague on specifics but I was able to accurately translate a section describing a weapon that can open and close something referred to as the 'door to a world.'"

Tessai looked at his friend in confusion "What exactly is a 'door to a world'?"

Kisuke frowned, "I'm not sure but it's safe to suggest it might be the most important thing in the world, no pun intended. Whatever this door turns out to be, the simple fact is something has upset the delicate balance between the Soul Society and the World of the Living. It's not too far out there to infer Ichigo's new powers relate to this door."

"How could Ichigo have upset the balance between the two worlds?" Tessai was mortified of such a suggestion. The last time the balance had come close to being disrupted the Soul Society nearly fell into anarchy, "Are his new powers similar to that of a quincy?"

"That's a very good question Tessai," Kisuke scratched his chin in thought. He knew Ichigo's ancestry quite well but with everything going on it would be unwise to make such rash assumptions, "But I don't think Ichigo's powers are based upon spiritual energy. When he emerged from the shattered shaft I couldn't feel anything from him. Even ordinary humans have a spiritual signature, a very weak one, but one nevertheless. Ichigo was invisible to my senses."

Kisuke frowned as he felt something off in the air, "I think what's happening here is a reaction from the Soul King to Ichigo's newfound powers. That thing will most likely do anything and everything to keep the world 'safe' and the balance maintained. If that means killing an innocent fifteen year old then that is what it will do."

Tessai narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, "Do you have any suggestion on how to proceed? It is unlike you to simply give up."

"Well…" Kisuke looked at the ground in front of him before continuing, "In any other circumstance I would use one of my several counter kidos to breach the space-time barrier kido around Ichigo and extract him. The only problem is the Royal Guard knows I'm here. The moment I step even an inch inside the barrier they'll cut me down. Perhaps if Yoruichi was here we could outrun them with shunpo."

"If that is the case then perhaps my assistance could be of help."

Kisuke and Tessai stared in shock as the familiar voice spoke from in the shadows near the shop. As the sound of footsteps crunching along gravel drew closer and closer the two ex-captains prepared for a fight they were not certain they could win. Drawing Benihime with one hand and adjusting his hat with the other Kisuke said, "It is quite the surprise to see you here of all people. I thought for sure someone like you would stay as far away from the limelight as possible."

The man smiled, causing the sunlight to reflect ominously off his glasses, "As the old say goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. Both our goals require Ichigo Kurosaki to live and it is for that reason I recommend putting our hostilities away, at least for the moment."

"Like I'll believe a word you say!" Tessai shouted and began silently casting a high level kido. As spiritual energy began to envelop his hands Kisuke stepped in front of him.

"Kisuke?"

"Let the kido go Tessai," Kisuke said seriously, "Despite what you and I may think, he has a point. So since you know so much about what is going on why don't you clue us in…Aizen Sosuke?"


	3. Chapter 3: Beginning of the End

_The popularity of __**Key Through the Soul**__ is impressive. As of posting this chapter there are 23 reviews, 31 favorites and 39 alerts. Thank you for the continued interest in my story and I will continue to post chapters as long as people want to read it. My plans for the worlds Ichigo will visit are slowly but surely coming together. As I write a chapter I get ideas on what to add or delete. I go through several revisions before posting what you see below. As a little teaser (but I don't know if it will ever actually happen) I imagine Ichigo meeting Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2. While that would be hilarious I am not sure how to make that actually happen. If I cannot get it to work I'll probably work it in as an omake at the end of a chapter. In a more serious note several of my reviewers were concerned that I was making Xehanort too out of character but I think this chapter will help clear up just what he is doing on Ichigo's world and what he wants. It will also clarify just when, in the Kingdom Hearts timeline, this takes place._

_**the Zogg:**__Thank you for the extra long review! You really hit the nail on several things but I will not answer your questions on Neliel or Ichigo's travelling partners through the worlds. It is going to be a secret up until I reveal them later on in the story._

_**Uber Prinny Lord:**__ I didn't have Urahara mention the Precipice World because he didn't feel or think it was necessary. He had just put together everything about the history of the world so something as small and insignificant as that simply slipped his mind._

_**Luckenhaft:**__ If only I knew what that was._

_**GirlAnimePrincess:**__ First of all Senjumaru is a woman, not a man. As for the keyblade I believe it can only be wielded by a "complete being" or someone with a heart, soul, and body. In Key through the Soul I believe the shinigami are the souls and hearts of the dead and so without a body they cannot have a keyblade._

_**Chaos-Guard:**__ Xehanort does everything for a reason._

**Updated: October 9, 2013_  
_**

* * *

...

* * *

Xehanort had seen many things across countless worlds throughout his long life but he could say with complete honesty that he had never come across a world quite like this. While at first glance it didn't seem that much different than most worlds in the Realm of Light the fact that this particular world was actually in the Realm of Darkness made for all the difference.

Looking up into the early morning sky Xehanort narrowed his eyes and peered past the illusionary sun to what lied beyond. Darkness, nothing but pure and corruptive darkness. It was amazing how simply being in the Realm of Darkness made this world virtually immune to the corruptive force but Xehanort felt something off about the world. Something had happened to the balance in the world's heart, causing several manifestations that he had never witnessed before to appear. It was all rather fascinating but he did not have time to dawdle. He had, at most, three hours before his heart was quickly and painfully destroyed by the darkness permeating the Realm of Darkness.

Xehanort stopped in the middle of the street as he felt a strong presence approach him, "You can come out now. Your amateurish illusionary techniques have failed."

The air behind Xehanort shimmered like oil before taking the shape of a man. A moment later Isshin Kurosaki appeared. The patriarch of the Kurosaki family wore the standard shinigami's shihakusho but had the tattered remains of a captain's haori tied over his left shoulder and held in place with a metal clamp,"I'm surprise you were able to sense me. I was sure I was suppressing my spiritual pressure to the absolute minimum."

"It wasn't hard," Xehanort answered, "Despite you conscious efforts to hide yourself you still stuck out like a beacon."

Isshin frowned at that piece of information. It was not everyday that someone could pierce through a level 80s bakudo As worried as he was Isshin realized that the man in front of him was not to be underestimated. He could feel something different about the man and thinking that his state of body reflected his actual power would be naïve, "Give a guy a break. I haven't used my powers in nearly twenty years. I'm bound to be a little rusty in some areas."

Xehanort chuckled, "My apologies. Since I have a few minutes I would like to ask just what you are."

"What am I?" Isshin had expected the man to ask him questions but nothing like that. While he was temporarily thrown off-balance he quickly recovered and decided to use the man's lack of knowledge against him, "I don't know what you mean. I'm just a human who's gained special powers."

"I find your humor to be lacking," Xehanort's hand twitched slightly, "I can see you for what you are and I find myself fascinated. A soul and heart without a body. I did not think such a combination could exist and yet here you stand."

Isshin's hand subconsciously began inching towards his zanpakuto, "You speak as if you aren't from around here. Someone of your power should have been found long ago. Who are you?"

Xehanort chose to ignore Isshin's question, "I have been to dozens of worlds throughout my long life but I have never seen a worlds quite like this. Usually when a somebody dies their body and soul vanish while their heart returns to where everything began.

Xehanort straightened his back but did not turn to face Isshin, "By your belligerent tone I assume you are not here for a friendly chat?"

Isshin kept his gaze on Xehanort as his gripped the hilt of his zanpaktuo, "Well now, I'm afraid that all depends."

"Oh? And what, might I ask, does it depend on?"

"Why you visited my son last night."

"You son?" Isshin's expression narrowed when he saw Xehanort stroke his chin as if trying to remember, "You must be talking about young Ichigo. A fine lad with a strong heart and even stronger convictions. It is a shame such talent is wasted on the youth."

"That's nice but you didn't answer my question."

"I will admit…" Xehanort accentuated his words with a wave of his hands, "My encounter with young Ichigo was coincidental. A stroke of fate if you will. I found myself at the mercy of a gang of punks trying to mug me and Ichigo managed to drive them off. That is the innate truth of the matter despite what you might argue."

Isshin frown but held himself back, "That's a funny way of describing what you pulled."

For the first time since confronting him, Xehanort turned his head just far enough for a single amber eye to stare at Isshin, "What I pulled?"

"I may not know who or what the hell you are," Isshin slowly approached Xehanort, "But I could feel your malice and darkness from all the way across Karakura Town. It was a rather strange feeling to be able to sense something like that after deliberately sealing off my powers but I suppose beggars can't be choosers. I know that you being here means nothing but bad news and the fact you met with Ichigo suggests you have plans for him as well; plans that are not to his best intentions. As his father I cannot allow you to go any further."

"Hmph," The smile that had constantly been on Xehanort's face dropped and he turned his body around to face Isshin, "Figured it all out have we? How can you be certain you are correct and not just paranoid?"

"I wasn't exactly born yesterday. There is no way a few street thugs could have hurt you unless you willingly allow them to," Isshin countered, "You want to know what I think? I think that you saw something in my son that interested you but you couldn't risk finding him yourself. Instead you arranged for your 'attack' just when Ichigo would pass by. He would come to your rescue and you would fake being injured so that you could talk to him without garnering suspicion. I may be a bit rusty after al these years but I know subtle manipulation when I see it."

"Ha ha ha…" Xehanort chuckled but didn't take his eyes off Isshin, "You are a rather clever man but I can assure you I did not come here for Ichigo. He is but a flight of fancy, something that I came across and wanted to experiment with. If his heart bends to my will then that will be fine but if not, I have other plans."

Isshin took an involuntary step back as darkness literally began to waft off of Xehanort's body like a purple and black fire. Quickly composing himself he drew his zanpakuto, "What makes you so sure I cannot stop you right here, right now?"

In a flash of dark light a silver and black keyblade materialized in Xehanort's outstretched right hand. Gripping the handle he said, "What makes you think you have what it takes to take me with that pitiful mockery of a keyblade?"

"_Keyblade?"_ Isshin did not know what a keyblade was but he knew he needed to stop Xehanort before did what he came here for, "I guess we'll just have to see what this old blade of mine can do. Burn: Engetsu!"

The keyblade master arched an eyebrow in interest as Isshin's zanpakuto was engulfed in orange and white flames, "So you can increase the power of your fake keyblade with a simple release command? While interesting it is still pointless. I cannot say I am impressed."

Settling into a kendo stance Isshin ran spiritual energy through Engetsu and doubled the size and intensity of the flames. He needed to be careful fighting Xehanort in Karakura Town in order to limit the property damage and loss of life, "I have heard enough from you! I'm going to stop you here and now!"

"Well then," an excited looked adorned Xehanort's face as he held his keyblade toward Isshin. As the darkness coalescing around his body and keyblade intensified he chuckled, "I think I'll let you make the first move."

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 3: Beginning of the End**

"Why the hell do you want to kill me?"

Senjumaru Shutara raised one of the puppet arms in front of her face as if embarrassed, "You have been found to be a direct threat to the balance between the World of the Living and the Soul Society. In order for both worlds to survive your existence must come to an end."

Ichigo took a step back as Senjumaru approached him, "My existence? What the hell did I ever do to you?"

"It is not a question of what you did do or have done. You mere presence has the potential to undermine the balance the Soul King has created. In order to preserve that balance your soul must be obliterated from reality."

"You're insane," Ichigo was slightly unnerved by the calm way Senjumaru was advocating destroying his very soul. He needed to buy time to think of a plan, "Hold up just a second. How can I be a threat to anyone when I have no powers? That other captain already took the power that Rukia gave me. I have nothing left to be a threat with!"

"Other captain?" Senjumaru narrowed her eyes and instantly all her puppet arms were wielding various weapons ranging from katanas to broadswords, "I do not know whether to be insulted or flattered by what you just said. While I am a shinigami my power far outwards that of a mere captain. I do not usually dirty my hands with violence but please hold still so that I can kill you as quickly as possible."

Thinking quickly Ichigo leapt back just before a puppet arm stabbed through the spot where he was just standing and into the pavement below like butter. Ichigo shifted his eyes from the arm in the ground towards Senjumaru and saw a small amount of mirth in her eyes and a barely concealed smile.

Ichigo had fought enough to know that despite what Senjumaru had told him she was not trying to kill him quickly or painlessly. The swings from her extra arms were much too slow and shallow to do any more than inflict superficial damage. If his senses and reaction time hadn't improved from when he was a substitute shinigami Ichigo was fairly certain he would be in no small amount of pain. The worst thing, he realized and ducked under a haphazardly swung claymore, was that she was not using any spiritual power or shinigami abilities. He knew if she did that speed technique Byakuya used on him he wouldn't last a second.

"I have a question," he shouted and rolled under a stab from a third arm, "Just how exactly am I a threat?

An ominous aura began to surround Senjumaru. He watched as she retracted all her arms and pointed them straight at him, "I thought I had explained myself to you already human."

Ichigo dove to the ground as every weapon she was holding launched at him all at once. Skidding across the pavement and wincing as he skin was cut open by the rough surface Ichigo knew the alternative would have been much worse. He didn't waste time recuperating and quickly got to his feet as a puppet arm, already holding another weapon, attempted to sever his head from his body but only managed to cut off several strands of hair. Ichigo watched with trepidation as his orange hair floated past his eyes, _"She almost had me there."_

"How many times must I tell you that your very existence is a threat, human?" Senjumaru said with no small amount of anger in her voice, "Both your death and soul destruction have been ordered by the Soul King himself. It is blasphemous to defy his will."

"Soul King?" Ichigo vaguely remembered Kisuke mentioning a similar phrase last night.

Senjumaru scoffed at his ignorance, "The Soul King is the beginning and the end of everything. From the soul of an infant to the most powerful of shinigami; all who exist do so because of him. His presence is what allowed you to be born and now he demands that you die. Feel honored, Ichigo Kurosaki, that he has deemed you dangerous enough to warrant soul destruction, something that has never been condoned before this day. Take heed that your name shall be known throughout the Soul Society as a being worthy of respect, as a being that was important and powerful enough to garner the personal attention of the Soul King. Now please hold still. If you continue to purposely dodge my attacks I may be unable to contain my bloodlust."

Ichigo took a few steps back as a burst of spiritual pressure erupted from Senjumaru's body, "You're lying. If I was such a threat then this Soul King would have come deal with me himself. The fact that he sent one of his lackeys shows just how worried he really is."

Senjumaru's eyes narrowed in anger and Ichigo was barely able to move out of the way before one of her puppet arms shot out towards him. Wincing, he held a hand against his side as blood began to dribble out, "The Soul King is the ruler of all existence. He cannot take time out of running the universe to deal with a mere human such as yourself. That is the purpose of those like myself, the Royal Guard. Our entire purpose is to protect the Soul King from all threats and, now, that includes you Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo had stopped listening halfway through Senjumaru's explanation to try and make a break for it. He had realized quite soon into the fight that no matter the plan he came up with or how smart he was the difference in power was too great. If he still had his shinigami powers he might have lasted long enough in a straight-up fight to escape but as an ordinary human he couldn't even do that. Turning around a corner he threw he body forward as several arms reached out to lance his body with their weapons.

"Where are you going Ichigo Kurosaki?" Senjumaru's voice echoed, "Surely you don't intend to try and run away like a coward?"

"_She's nuts,"_ he thought as he quickly hoped a brick wall and slid down the other side, _"She's absolutely batshit insane!"_

Ichigo sat behind the wall and kept absolutely still as Senjumaru walked on the other side. He was sure that she knew where he was but was surprised when she continued past where he was hiding without slowing down. Pressing an ear against the wall he waited until the sounds of her footsteps disappeared into the distance before getting up. Lighting tiptoeing his way across the yard he reached for the handle to the backdoor and surprisingly found it unlocked. Carefully opening it to avoid making a sound, he walked inside and closed it behind him.

"_If I can get to the front door I can double back behind her and look for a way out."_

He stealthily moved to the front of the house. As his heart beat a mile a minute he opened the front door and quickly dodged out of the way as one of Senjumaru's puppet arms speared through the air. Just as he was recovering another one burst through the wall and tightened around his neck before slamming him into the wall behind him. While struggling for air Ichigo heard the light tapping of a pair of okobos approaching him.

"I don't know whether to be impressed or insulted with you," Senjumaru said smoothly as she strolled towards Ichigo's pinned body. Walking until she was standing mere inches from Ichigo, Senjumaru traced a finger under his chin, "Did you honestly think something like that would work? This entire area is enveloped with my kido. I know the location of everything and everyone inside it. If I wanted to I could kill you before you even had a chance to blink."

"Then…ugh…why don't you?" he managed to grunt out.

She leaned in until her face was mere inches from his own, her black eyes seeming to stare through him, "Because I want to see what makes you so special Ichigo Kurosaki."

Before he could register the question he was thrown with enough force to blast through a wall and back outside. Bouncing and rolling to a stop Ichigo held his shoulder in pain and slowly rolled over onto his back. Senjumaru didn't seem to care as she continued to watch him, "My orders may be to kill you Ichigo Kurosaki but I need to know what makes you so special and dangerous. I have thrown enough power at you to show that I can kill you at any time and still you act as if you have nothing up your sleeves. You cannot possibly be a mere human."

"I told you," Ichigo ground out between gritted teeth, "I have _nothing_ left. That other shinigami took all my power when he took Rukia back. What more could I possibly have?"

"That is what I have been trying to find out myself," Senjumaru admitted with a shrug, "If you are not going to show me what makes you such a threat to the Soul King I must bring this fight to an end. I recommend that you hold still and close your eyes. If you're lucky you won't even feel a thing."

Ichigo watched in slow motion as every one of her puppet arms came at him. He may not have been able to react to each arm but his eyes could still follow their movements and that was much worse. Futilely raising his hand in front of his face in a desperate attempt to protect himself, a single thought passed through his mind, _"How the hell can I fight her? I refuse to die like this!"_

"Good bye Ichigo Kurosaki."

While Senjumaru bore down with her weapons she couldn't help but feel annoyance. Her lord had warned them of Ichigo Kurosaki's great and terrible power and yet here he was cowering on the ground in front of her with no more strength than the average human. Something wasn't adding up but Senjumaru did not care. The Soul King had ordered her to kill Ichigo and that is what she will do. Just as her swords were about to rend the flesh from Ichigo's body her eye caught a sparkling white light emanating from one of his pockets.

"What?"

Senjumaru was thrown back as the light shining from Ichigo's pocket intensified to such an extent that two of her puppet arms were disintegrated instantly. Skidding to a stop she looked at the damage to her extra limbs before turning her gaze back to the light. When she tried to gauge just how powerful Ichigo's kido was she let out a small gasp when she felt nothing. There was no trace of spiritual pressure from the light.

"What type of kido is that?"

Ichigo didn't answer her. Instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out the glowing keychain, completely unaffected by the intense light being emitted. As he stared at the ruby-red heart in the center of the keychain he could swear it was letting out a soft and melodious sound just before surrounding him in a pillar of light.

Senjumaru was not about to allow Ichigo to awaken whatever power he had. Weaving several kidos at once using both her real and puppet hands she shouted, "Hado #63: Raikōhō! Hado #32: Ōkasen! Hado #73: Sōren Sōkatsui! Hado #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"

The four hado released as one, coalescing around one another as they screamed across the pavement to Ichigo. Just as they were about to make contact a translucent blue dome with hexagonal markings snapped into existence and dissipated the four kido as if they were nothing. Senjumaru subconsciously took a step back at the display. In all the calculations and tactics she had running through her mind not a single one included a provision for her kido to simply be destroyed.

"_What type of barrier kido is that?"_ she thought, her analytic mind tried to piece together what was going on, _"While I forewent the incantations for the kido they were still almost at full power. Nothing short of a Dankū could stop them and even that would falter after only two of my hado. Something is not right."_

Luckily for Senjumaru the light surrounding Ichigo began to fade away a minute later and the barrier vanished with it, leaving her with a perfect view of any changes Ichigo might have undergone. Disappointingly Ichigo still looked the same. He still wore the grey school uniform he had been wearing when she had confronted and there were still no sign that he was emitting any spiritual pressure. It seemed for all intensive purposes he was still just a normal human. She had just about dismissed the light show as nothing when her eyes drifted down to his right hand. At first glance she confused it with a zanpakuto's released form but frowned when she sensed no spiritual energy signature coming from it.

The fact that it was in the shape of a key made no difference to her.

Ichigo's keyblade was predominantly silver in color with an ivory overlay with a pitch black handle and teeth made of two stylized silver wings in the shape of a hollow and empty heart. The weapon's guard was the same color as the handle but was adorned with a second pair of wings facing the same direction as the teeth. As he adjusted his grip on the keyblade to get a better look at it Ichigo noticed a silver chain on the handle that had the trinket from Xehanort hanging off the end.

"So that is your shikai Ichigo Kurosaki," Senjumaru concluded despite all contrary evidence, "Were you lying to me when you said you had no shinigami powers?"

It was obvious that Senjumaru was fishing for information about the strange weapon but she was still frustrated that Ichigo did not answer her. He did not even look at her as he examined his new keyblade, _"What the hell is this thing? I can feel something coming from it but it doesn't feel anything like spiritual pressure. The shape…is this a keyblade?"_

"I'll ask you again Ichigo Kurosaki. What is that weapon in your hand?"

Ichigo finally noticed Senjumaru talking to him and quickly and easily got into a stance he was completely unfamiliar with, "I don't know how or why I have this but now I have a shot at beating you!"

"Beating me?" Senjumaru scoffed and disappeared in a burst of shunpo so fast that she seemed to simply disappear to Ichigo. When his eyes couldn't keep up with her movements Ichigo's body seemed to be able to follow them much better. He turned around and used the shaft of the keyblade to block the attack from her puppet arm. Ichigo would have been content with just that but to his surprise Senjumaru seemed to be repelled by contact with the keyblade. Seeing the ineffectiveness of her attack she leapt back and landed softly on the ground, her eyes examining every inch of his keyblade.

"That weapon…what is it?"

Ichigo felt confident for the first time since meeting this woman, "It's none of your business. All you should know is that it's the weapon that's going to kick your ass!"

The pressure around Ichigo tripled but it did not seem to affect him that much any more. Senjumaru saw her spiritual pressure did not have any effect and with a snarl doubled it yet again. When Ichigo still remained standing she shouted, "You think just because you obtained a bit of power in the heart of battle that makes you my equal? You may be able to block my strikes with that weapon of yours but can you keep up with my speed? Die Ichigo Kuro-"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as a beam of red lightning shot through the air and pierced her right shoulder with enough force to topple her forward. As she staggered on her feet and held her bleeding shoulder Ichigo heard a familiar voice said, "Sorry we're late Ichigo. You wouldn't believe the traffic."

* * *

...

* * *

Isshin cursed as he shunpo'd behind Xehanort and swung down with Engetsu only for the keyblade master to teleport out of harm's reach. As his zanpakuto carved a long gash in the street, causing a nearby car to swerve out of control and hit a wall, Isshin grimaced. He was starting to feel conflicted due to his ethics as a doctor against causing harm to anyone.

Pulling Engetsu free he looked around for Xehanort, "Where did that old bastard go?"

A feeling of danger hit Isshin and he spun around just as Xehanort reappeared in a burst of darkness, his keyblade swinging through the air. Isshin grit his teeth and pumped more and more spiritual energy into Engetsu. With slightly narrowed eyes he looked at Xehanort and saw the master had an amused grin.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Just this."

A burst of energy exploded out from the keyblade master. Isshin didn't have time to prepare as he was thrown backwards through the skies above Karakura Town.

"_Damn,"_ he thought with a snarl as he tried to arrest his movements, _"Every time I attack him he somehow blocks and then counterattacks from my blind spot. How the hell do I beat a guy like this?"_

Pumping spiritual energy to the heels of his feet Isshin managed to bring himself to a stop. Hefting Engetsu with both hands he scanned the ground below for any sign of Xehanort. The old man may be strong and fast but Isshin had one distinct advantage over the elderly keyblade master – he could fly.

"Why are you looking at the ground?"

Isshin's eyes widened and he spun his head skyward, "What the hell?"

The keyblade master was falling towards him with a sphere of energy hovering off the end of his keyblade. Thinking quickly Isshin pushed spiritual energy through Engetsu and released a wave of fire at Xehanort, who used his free hand to bat the flames away like they were nothing. Isshin had never meant for the attack to actually connect with Xehanort, it was merely a distraction to buy him some time to escape using shunpo. Disappearing from his spot in the air, Isshin reappeared down on the road. As his foot touched the pavement he quickly spun around and blocked Xehanort's keyblade with the broad side of his zanpakuto.

"_Wait a second, why aren't I being repulsed? Is it only when I attack?"_

Xehanort looked amused at Isshin's attempt to repel his strike, "I must admit I underestimated both your strength and intellect. I had assumed I would have been done with you after only a few seconds of fighting and yet here we are three minutes later."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment old man," Isshin replied sarcastically while he continued to try and push Xehanort's keyblade back. For an old man he had a surprising amount of strength, "But I'm not out of tricks just yet!"

Isshin realized in a contest of strength Xehanort would win every time. He needed to be creative. Instead of attempting to stagger the keyblade master by overpowering him he leaned away and allowed the keyblade to arc towards his body. Before it could make contact though, he spun around and tried to use his foot to trip Xehanort. As expected the keyblade master easily saw that coming and hopped into the air to avoid it. Isshin smirked and drew back the middle finger on his right hand and flicked it at Xehanort.

"Oni Dekopin!"

Xehanort had no time to react as an invisible burst of pressure shot out and slammed into his body, throwing the keyblade master down the street and into a nearby building. Isshin watched the dust and smoke slowly clear from the impact but was shocked when he couldn't see or sense the old man.

"Where the hell did he go?"

"You're wide open."

"What the-" Isshin had barely turned around when he was hit with a blast of ice magic. Spinning around and glaring at Xehanort, who was standing unharmed right behind him, he gripped his frozen left arm, "How?"

"Are you referring to how I managed to survive your attack or how I moved behind you? I think I will humor you by answering them both," Xehanort flicked his wrist and his keyblade reappeared in a shower of light, "That attack of your was surprisingly powerful but ultimately futile. And as for how I snuck up behind you…well, I think I'll keep that a secret for now. Now then, it appears that I am running late so I will allow you to flee with your life. Consider it a token of appreciation for giving an old man a good fight."

"Like hell I'm going to run away with my tail between my legs!" Isshin shouted and used the hilt of Engetsu to shatter the ice coating his left arm. While his arm was still numb it was no longer frozen, "I may not know what you're planning but I'll die before letting you pass!"

"Brave words but can you back it up?"

Isshin raced towards Xehanort, his feet impacting the ground with enough force to crack the pavement. Vanishing in a burst of shunpo he reappeared in the air above the keyblade master and swung Engetsu down with as much force and spiritual energy as he could muster. As keyblade and shikai collided and clashed the entire street was subjected to an intense burst of light and energy.

* * *

...

* * *

As Senjumaru slowly toppled forward and collapsed on her knees Ichigo saw a familiar face on a nearby roof, "Kisuke?"

The ex-captain of the Twelfth Division smirked and hopped off the roof. Landing softly on the ground he spun his cane around, "Why hey there Ichigo, I see you are having a bit of trouble with your opponent. Quite frankly I'm amazed you're still alive given who you're fighting."

Ichigo took a quick look at Senjumaru before answering, "How did you get through the barrier Kisuke? She said it was impenetrable."

"Well…" Kisuke rubbed the back of his neck, "…it was. I don't know what happened but about a minute ago the pylons supporting the external barrier kido collapsed suddenly, allowing us inside. It probably has something to do with your keyblade."

It took Ichigo a moment to catch up with what Urahara said, "How do you know what this is?"

The grin fell off the shopkeeper's face and it looked as if he had swallowed something unpleasant, "My new associate has filled me in on a few things I was missing."

"New associate?" Ichigo looked around but saw no one besides Kisuke.

"Really now Kisuke," a calm and stoic voice said, "After all I did for you, you simply refer to me as an associate? I assumed since you have agreed to work with me as a matter of survival such trivial titles wouldn't matter."

Ichigo turned around towards the source of the voice and saw a shinigami wearing a white haori identical to the one he had seen on Byakuya. The man has slightly unkempt brown hair and a pair of thick glasses that made him look more bookish then a fighter. But still, he realized taking another glance at the captain's haori, he was a captain and probably really powerful. Ichigo saw that the captain was smiling slightly and that put him on edge more then anything that had happened in the last two days.

Swallowing the nervousness building up in his chest he asked, "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" the captain repeated without loosing his smirk or putting any emotion into his voice, "I suppose you can say I am an old…acquaintance of Kisuke Urahara as well as your father, Isshin Kurosaki. However by the contrived expression on your face you were probably referring to my actual name. I am Sosuke Aizen and please refrain from asking any more questions until this annoyance has been taken care of."

"An annoyance am I?" Senjumaru growled. Ever since being hit with that kido she had been discretely healing her wounds. Fully healed she stood back up, "This coming from a traitorous captain? Don't make me laugh."

"Traitor?" Aizen said as if the word meant nothing to him, "I suppose if you go by just my appearance that would be a correct assessment but let me you a question myself. Can one be a traitor if they were never on your side to begin with? Throughout my existence my goals have never once wavered nor changed but can the same be said of you, Senjumaru Shutara? How many of your morals and beliefs have you discarded upon joining the Zero Division? Can you even sleep anymore with everything that you have done in the name of that which you call the Soul King?"

"How dare you…" Senjumaru growled and released enough spiritual pressure to make Byakuya Kuchiki look like an amateur shinigami. As everything around him seemed to take on a grey tinge Ichigo flinched, not from the spiritual pressure, but the from emotions being emitted alongside it. He didn't know how but he could feel the hatred and anger coming from Senjumaru at being spoken down to. Nearby he saw Kisuke on his hands and knees simply trying to remain conscious but what surprised him the most was that Aizen only seemed to buckle slightly.

"How interesting," he said as he stood back up, "It seems that the Oken evolved your spiritual pressure to the point where it suppresses any normal shinigami and leaves them open to attack. That might have worked on anyone else but you will see that I am in an entirely different league. To show my respect for you I will proceed to release my shikai right away. Call it an honor if you will."

As Aizen slowly drew his zanpakuto from its sheathe Kisuke, who had recovered from Senjumaru's spiritual pressure, used shunpo and covered Ichigo's eyes, "Close your eyes Ichigo!"

"That's a very wise move Kisuke but I'm afraid it is quite pointless," Aizen said, "Now Shatter: Kyōka Suigetsu."

Senjumaru tensed and brought her puppet arms into a defensive stance as Aizen released his zanpakuto. She knew that anyone that could so easily shrug off her spiritual pressure like he did was someone to not take for granted. She needed to be wary of this one but found herself subconsciously letting her guard down slightly when Aizen called out his shikai release and nothing happened. She had heard something like glass shattering but his sword did not change forms nor did any external effects begin, "What is going on? Did you or did you not release your zanpakuto?"

"My zanpakuto is quite special you see…" Aizen trailed off and held his zanpakuto up as if marveling it, "It has the special property of countering any and all attacks by adapting and becoming the exact opposite. If, for example, you were to possess a water-based shikai, Kyōka Suigetsu would have both ice and lightning properties. The only downside is that it does not work against multiple opponents."

Senjumaru frowned, "Why are you telling me all this when I have not yet release my zanpakuto?"

"It is quite simple," Aizen gently tapped his zanpakuto onto the pavement and Senjumaru gasped when everything around the point of contact decayed away, "My zanpakuto's ability is not limited to simple elemental manipulation and adaptation. If you think about it, there are zanpakuto that are purely physical or kido in nature. How, you might ask, can Kyōka Suigetsu possibly adapt and counter such abilities. The answer is surprisingly simple: prevent physical contact at the source itself. If you cannot even touch me you cannot possibly harm me. It is as simple as that."

"Impressive ability," Senjumaru reluctantly admitted, "But do you think that just because I cannot touch your blade that I cannot defeat you?"

"That is an interesting question," Aizen said and held his zanpakuto towards the royal guard, "Let us see just how that works out for you."

As Senjumaru prepared to battle Aizen, Ichigo was watching with a mixture of confusion, "Hey Kisuke, why isn't she moving?"

"It is quite simple," Aizen answered while sheathing his zanpakuto, "She has simply fallen for my 'ultimate hypnosis.' My zanpakuto's special ability, if you want to call it that, is to control the five senses of anyone who witnesses it's release. Kisuke Urahara knew about this and futilely tried to prevent you from becoming hypnotized by my illusions."

Kisuke sat up and placed a hand on his hat, "Before I ask you about why it was pointless, I'm going to point out that you seemed to have…what's the word…improved your illusions quite a bit since I last encountered you."

"It seems I did," Aizen answered with the same amount of enthusiasm as if discussing the weather. He briefly looked at Senjumaru who was standing limply nearby and staring into space, "Despite my power I knew that someone of her caliber would easily see through any illusions by sensing the spiritual signature of Kyōka Suigetsu. To counter that ability I trapped her in an illusion within her own mind where she is currently fighting against myself. I do wonder how she will do."

"That's all well and good," Kisuke admitted, "But explain why what I did was pointless."

"I find myself disappointed that you didn't figure it out yourself Urahara. The answer has to do with young Ichigo's keyblade."

"My keyblade-Hey!"

Ichigo couldn't react before his keyblade was taken out of his hand by Aizen. Before he could say anything it vanished in a shower of light from the captain's grip and returned to him.

"This keyblade of yours is even more interesting than I first realized. It appears that whatever form of power it has given you has caused you to develop an immunity to my ultimate hypnosis. I first realized this before Kisuke attacked Senjumaru. You were looking directly at us and yet my shikai release did not seem to cause you to fall under my illusions. If this had occurred in any other situation I would make it my goal to kill you as quickly as possible but not before finding out what afforded you such resistance to Kyōka Suigetsu."

"Kill me?" Ichigo saw something in Aizen's eyes and knew he was speaking to a monster.

"You seem scared of me Ichigo Kurosaki but there is no reason to be. We will talk more once we are alone."

"Just one second Aizen," Kisuke interrupted, "Why, after countless years plotting and planning and ruining countless lives under the counter of anonymity, are you coming out into the open? You must be aware that there is no way you can talk or hypnotize the entire Gotei 13 to hide your presence here today."

A small smile graced Aizen's face, "All very true but once again your logic is flawed. You assume that my goals have always been selfish and egotistical but you know nothing. Now if you don't mind stepping back a couple of feet it appears our guest has returned to us."

Ichigo was blown back as spiritual pressure exploded out from Senjumaru. While it did not affect him that much the sheer amount being emanated from the royal guard was enough to force him back through the pressure alone. Getting to his feet, he raised his keyblade up to fight when Aizen's arm blocked his path.

"This is not your battle Ichigo Kurosaki and even if it were you wouldn't last a second against such an opponent. You would be like an ant to a human, strong in your own right but still completely powerless."

Turning from Ichigo back to Senjumaru, Aizen smiled, "Tell me something Senjumaru Shutara, how does it feel to know everything you had just experienced was nothing more then an illusion? Were you trapped in your own mind for minutes? Hours? Days perhaps? How do you even know that this is even reality and not just another illusion?"

"You…you…traitor!" Senjumaru shouted.

There was a sound like glass shattering and for the first time since arriving the smile fell from Aizen's face, "It appears that the Oken allows you shrug off the hypnotizing effects Kyōka Suigetsu through sheer force. This must be the work of Oetsu Nimaiya, the creator of the zanpakuto."

"How can you possibly know so much about the Zero Division traitor?" Senjumaru snarled and with a snap of her fingers the puppet arms that had been destroyed earlier instantly regenerated along with their weapons.

"I must remind you that I am not a traitor."

"It does not matter at this point whether you're a traitor!" Senjumaru yelled as she released more and more spiritual energy to the point where it surrounded her body with a green aura, "For all your strength you are but a mere shinigami while I am a Royal Guard! The right hand of the Soul King himself! Before my power you are but an insect!"

"It appears that I will have to fight seriously today," Aizen said, his voice full of mock regret, "Kisuke, it seems that I might be here a while. Can you please take Ichigo back to your hideout? I'll be finished here soon enough."

"Wait a second!" Ichigo tried to move only for his body to protest his every action.

Urahara stopped Ichigo and grabbed his wrist, "This is no time for arguments or questions Ichigo. Hold on tight!"

"No!" Senjumaru tried to shunpo towards Ichigo but found her path suddenly blocked by Aizen, whose arms barely quivered from using his zanpakuto to block the strike. Urahara gave a silent nod of thanks to the captain and jumped over a nearby house with Ichigo in tow.

"You will pay for defying the will of the Soul King! I will see you die slowly and painfully."

"Oh by all means try," Aizen calmly replied and repelled Senjumaru with a small amount of effort, "I do recommend, though, that you do not hold back your strength. It has been such a long time since I have fought someone so close to my level and I would not want this fight to end too quickly."

* * *

...

* * *

Xehanort walked down a street in Karakura Town and calmly stepped over the unconscious body of Isshin Kurosaki. The shinigami was heavily burned over the majority of his body and appeared to be on the verge of death. The keyblade master did not even give the former captain a second look as he walked past him.

"To have actually managed to wound me in battle…it appears that I underestimated your strength, wielder of the mock keyblade."

True to his word, Xehanort's left arm hung at his side and was dripping blood onto the pavement and staining his white glove. He was ashamed of himself to admit that towards the end of the battle he had arrogantly let his guard down for but a moment. His opponent had managed to sense the weakness in his defense the moment it dropped and attempted to kill him. Whatever attack he had used had nearly shattered through his Mighty Guard and left a large gash in his shoulder.

"I dare say that if you had any idea of my abilities you might have actually won or at least not lose."

The keyblade master waved his right hand and immediately his body was surrounded by a light green glow that soon healed the wound on his shoulder. Testing out his newly healed shoulder Xehanort frowned when he realized how much mana he had to use in that Cura spell. This world that he was in was so cut off from the other worlds that mana did not exist here. What would merely be a small inconvenience for no more then ten minutes was now a potentially lethal problem if not dealt with.

"I've wasted enough time in pointless battles. It is time I take what I came to this world for."

Xehanort raised his keyblade and pointed it at a nearby wall. Twisting his wrist to the side a thin beam of white light shot out from the end of the keyblade and connected with the wall. As soon as contact was made a soft clicking sound was heard as the wall began to disappear and portal took its place. Xehanort looked on in excitement as his destination appeared on the other side of the doorway, "I must not dally here any longer. Goodbye nameless warrior. If you survive your wounds long enough to regain consciousness, you might witness something truly wondrous."

The keyblade master stepped through the glowing doorway and instantly found himself in another dimension. Truth be told he had never seen a world within a world. It was such a foreign concept that if Eraqus was here he would most definitely be jumping with excitement over what could have caused such an anomaly. As the doorway closed behind him Xehanort found himself standing in the middle of a platform floating lazily in an endless sky. Surrounding him were dozens of other islands, both bigger and smaller, with the largest five containing entire cities but they were not the reason he was here. Turning his focus towards the palace in the distance his amber eyes widened in satisfaction. Confident that nothing can stop him at this point, he began the long journey towards his goal.

Back in Karakura Town and a few minutes after the doorway to the Royal Palace realm had closed Isshin Kurosaki let out a cough accompanied by a copious amount of blood as he regained consciousness. As he struggled to pick his injured body off the ground he glared at where Xehanort had vanished.

"Ugh…I have to…warn Kisuke…"

* * *

...

* * *

Kisuke couldn't remember the last time he felt so spiritually drained and for a genius that was really saying something. Breathing heavily from exhaustion, he finished putting the final touches on the last barrier kido and took a step back to marvel his work. Even by his high standards what he had just accomplished was pure genius. With Tessai's help he had layers and weaved different kidos and seals together in such a way that it makes the Sekkiseki barrier around the Seireitei look like tissue paper. The barrier was designed to hide all traces of spiritual energy from those inside as well as allow specific people in and out without losing structural integrity. Urahara was positive it was even strong enough to keep out someone of Aizen or Yamamoto's caliber for at least several minutes before shattering. He still wasn't sure how it would hold up against someone of the Royal Guard but still, it was better then nothing.

"_Hopefully this bought us enough time to think of a plan. I can't believe I'm saying this but all our hopes are resting on Aizen defeating Senjumaru Shutara in combat."_

Turning around to head into his shop, Kisuke's thoughts drifted back to the various peculiarities surrounding Ichigo. When they had been able to finally break through Senjumaru's dimension barrier kido he had tried to use shunpo to take Ichigo as far away from the Royal Guard as possible but soon realized nothing was happening. Several failed attempts later made him realize that whatever power Ichigo had obtained, it seemed to not work well with spiritual energy to the point where anything based on spiritual energy failed when in contact with him.

"_That explains what Aizen was referring to. His zanpakuto's ultimate hypnosis, despite its extraordinary power, is based on spiritual energy and could not work on Ichigo no matter how strong it is."_

As Urahara opened the sliding door to his shop he was almost blindsided by Ichigo running past him being chased by Jinta, "Hey let me take a look at that!"

Ichigo hopped over a shelf as Jinta crashed into it and collapsed to the ground in an undignified heap, "Like hell I'll let you touch my keyblade you little brat!"

Rubbing his sore nose Jinta growled, "Why you-"

"Jinta," Kisuke interjected before the argument between Ichigo and Jinta could escalate any further, "Go tell Tessai that he needs to pour his spiritual energy into the barrier. I don't know how much longer it will last with the fighting going on in Karakura Town."

The redhead grumbled but obediently ran deeper into the shop. Ichigo watched him leave before turning to Kisuke, "What's going on Kisuke? Why is everyone trying to kill me?"

Urahara pointed to a table with a wave of his arm, "Take a seat Ichigo. There is a lot I need to say and you might want to be sitting down when I do."

As Ichigo took his seat Urahara began talking, "I'll get right to the point. The keyblade you possess is probably the most powerful weapon in the world Ichigo."

Ichigo glanced at the weapon in his hand, "How did you know this was a keyblade?"

Urahara rubbed his chin and sighed, "Actually I didn't, it was Aizen who came to Tessai and myself and explained what a keyblade was. According to Aizen the mythology surrounding the keyblade you now possess predates that of the Soul Society and even the Soul King himself."

Ichigo looked at the keyblade in his hand with newfound respect, "So it's that old?"

Urahara shrugged, "I don't know about that. Perhaps the concept of the keyblade is older then the Soul Society but that is not what I am trying to say. I believe that keyblade is why you are being hunted down by the Zero Division, otherwise known as the Royal Guard."

"You do?" Ichigo was getting sick and tired of almost being killed for stuff he didn't know.

"Yes," Urahara motioned with an arm towards the door and Tessai quickly left the room just as a shockwave of spiritual energy blew through. Ichigo was concerned but Kisuke seemed unperturbed, "It seems that Aizen is actually having to fight seriously but as I was saying, the reason you were being hunted down is because of the special ability all keyblades possess – the ability to unlock everything."

Suddenly all the respect he had for his keyblade fell away, "So it's really nothing more then a giant novelty key?"

"Stop and think for a moment Ichigo," Kisuke warned with a wag of his finger, "When I said everything I meant _everything_. If what Aizen has said is true then the keyblade has the ability to open any lock. You see those barriers I erected outside my store?"

Ichigo took a quick glance at the shimmering kido barrier and nodded.

"The keyblade can pass right through that as if were paper. That weapon you wield has the ability to open any and all locks regardless of the security and complexity but that is just what we know. There is another myth surrounding the keyblade but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I took another look at that scroll from last night and with the information Aizen provided I managed to translate some more of it. Apparently the keyblade has the frightening ability to open and close the boundaries between worlds as well as the heart of the world itself."

"Is that why she was trying to kill me?"

"I don't know for certain but I wouldn't bet against it," Urahara confessed with a small shrug, "The Soul King most likely knows about the keyblade and will do anything to prevent someone from wielding it. It doesn't matter if you have no intention of destroying the world or anything, to the Soul King you are but one insignificant person. If you have to be killed to prevent the return of the keyblade then he would see it a causality of war. The death of a single soul to save the lives of everyone else in existence. I don't think it took the Soul King long to come to a decision on what to do."

Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat, "Wait a second…I didn't have this stupid keyblade until after I was attacked. How could this Soul King know I had it before I knew?"

Urahara scratched his cheek, "That is a very good question but I think it has to do with what happened last night in the Shattered Shaft. When you failed to recover your shinigami powers and zanpakuto, you instead obtained a unique form of energy completely unlike spiritual energy. The Soul King must know of a connection between the keyblade and this energy and came to the conclusion that the keyblade had already been found."

"But that woman didn't even know why she was attacking me. She just kept saying the Soul King ordered my death."

"I'm afraid that is one of the biggest secrets of the Soul Society Ichigo," Urahara said and took a sip of his drink. Sighing contently he continued, "Unbeknownst to most shinigami the requirements for becoming a member of the royal guard are much more sinister. Those that are even aware assume that the royal guard captains made a contribution of such importance to the Seireitei that they are honored with the position but Aizen and myself figured out the other requirement – complete and utter loyalty to the Soul King. They act and behave normally most of the time but when the Soul King gives them an order they are literally unable to fight or question it due to the Oken implanted in their body."

Ichigo couldn't believe such a thing could exist, "That's insane!"

"I'm sorry to say that the royal guard isn't important right now. What is important at this point in time is how we are going to get your family out of here alive."

"My family?" Ichigo stuttered and his thoughts drifted to Yuzu and Karin.

"This isn't something that can be fixed by having you go into hiding Ichigo," Kisuke said seriously, "Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Soul King might assume the ability to wield the keyblade is genetic and will take precautions against any more showing up. That means your sisters are in danger."

Ichigo stood up and slammed his hands onto the table, "Then we have to go save them!"

"Sit down Ichigo," Urahara ordered, "I believe they are safe, for the moment at least. Right now the Soul King is focusing his entire effort on you, someone he knows has a keyblade. Until you are out of the picture he won't turn to your sisters. Your survival is paramount to protecting Karin and Yuzu."

"Kisuke!"

The sliding door to the shop was kicked open as an unfamiliar dark-skinned woman with purple hair made her presence known. As she limped into the store Ichigo thought she was injured but after a moment he realized with cold dread that the pools of blood trailing behind her were coming from the person held on her back. Hung over her shoulders unconscious and bleeding profusely was his father garbed in a shinigami's shihakusho.

"Dad!"

"What happened Yoruichi?" Kisuke ran over and quickly scanned Isshin's body with a diagnostic kido.

"How the hell should I know?" the woman responded indignantly, "I found him like this in the middle of a street barely conscious but the strangest thing was that I couldn't sense who he was fighting. The only spiritual signature in the entire block was Isshin's."

"That's not the only strange thing," Kisuke added as his glowing hands focused on one of Isshin's burns, "These injuries were not caused by anything based on spiritual energy. If I had to guess, I'd say they almost look like cero burns but there is no trace of hollow spiritual energy on his body."

"Wait a minute!" Ichigo shouted and stood up, "Why is my dad dressed up like a shinigami and how do you two know him?"

Urahara and Yoruichi grimaced and were saved from answering when a series of hacking coughs were heard. Everyone gathered around Isshin and he regained consciousness and opened his eyes. Reaching up, he grabbed Ichigo's shirt and uttered one word before falling back unconscious, "Keyblade…"

The entire shop went silent at the revelation before Yoruichi asked, "What's a keyblade Kisuke?"

"Well Ichigo," Urahara nervously adjusted his hat, "It seems that your not the only one with a keyblade in Karakura Town."

* * *

...

* * *

Xehanort stood before the enormous golden doors leading towards the central antechamber of the palace. He was impressed with the sheer amount of seals and protective barriers adorning the door and wrapping around the chamber inside. Such protections would have denied entry to anyone else but he was a keyblade master. Raising his keyblade towards the space between the doors he twisted his hand and grinned.

"Open."

The seals around the door flickered once before shattering all at once. Stepping forward with a smile he gently pressed a hand on one of the doors and swung it open without much effort. As he walked across the polished marble floor he found that the antechamber was much larger on the inside then he first thought. Sensing something nearby and without breaking his stride he snapped out his right hand and gripped an elaborately dressed man's throat. As he struggled to breathe Xehanort said, "I have wasted enough time already on pointless battles."

With but a thought the man was set ablaze with black flames the color of the darkness itself. Squeezing his hand again the flames were quenched only to be replaced by ice so cold it was blue. Xehanort gave the frozen man only a cursory glance before letting go and walking away, ignorant of the shattering of his body behind him.

"So you must be this so-called Soul King that I have heard so much about," he said walked slowly towards the floating figure on the other side of the chamber.

The Soul King opened his eyes, **"Who are you and why have you come?"**

"I am Xehanort and I have come for the purpose of gaining knowledge."

The Soul King's uniquely-shaped eyes did not seem surprised, **"You come for knowledge and yet you destroy everything in your path?"**

Xehanort chuckled, "If you are referring to those that stood in my way I did give most of them a chance to flee without fighting me. It is not my fault they were unable to grasp the difference between their power and mine."

"**That weapon…"** the Soul King's eyes focused on Xehanort's keyblade, **"It has been such a long time since I have seen one of the holy weapons. The armored warriors from the sky used the holy weapons to destroy the living darkness plaguing the world."**

"_The armored warriors from the sky were most likely keyblade bearers and the living darkness the heartless,"_ Xehanort concluded before asking, " My purpose in coming here is simple. I want to know everything about the Keyblade War. How it began, who were the main actors, and the various spells and techniques lost to time! Everything I have read suggests the war started here, on this world, and that an incredible weapon was forged in the process!"

The Soul King's eyes closed, **"The Keyblade War? I do not recall a war with such a name ever taking place. Now go and leave me be."**

Xehanort's eyes narrowed dangerously, "I would strongly advise you to think carefully about your answer. I have not spent five years of diligent searching only to be rudely brushed aside. If you do not give me the answer I seek I will be forced to take a more…hands on approach."

As Xehanort raised his keyblade, darkness coalescing around the blade, the Soul King looked on impassively, **"I do not know of any Keyblade War but I believe the knowledge I possess could be useful."**

"Oh?"

"**Before the armored warriors left this world to chase after the living darkness they told me of a legendary weapon able to destroy the darkness forever."**

"_Can it be?"_ As excited as Xehanort was he managed to keep up a calm façade. Lowering his keyblade slightly he urged the Soul King to continue, "Go on."

"**The warriors claimed that this ultimate blade, composed of equal amounts of light and darkness, would be the only way to open the way to the heart of existence where they would be able to vanquish the darkness forever. They called it the χ-blade."**

Xehanort couldn't believe how lucky he was. He had come to this world with the purpose of finding out how the Keyblade War began and what led up to the fighting but instead he found clues on the creation of the legendary χ-blade! The χ-blade was known to have been forged in the very last battle of the Keyblade War and had the ability to open the way to Kingdom Hearts and allow the bearer to shift the balance between the light and darkness whichever way they wanted. Up to now it was considered but a legend to all except the most diligent of scholars but it was he, Xehanort the Seeker of Darkness, who had discovered the process of creating such a legendary weapon. If he could somehow remake the χ-blade he could go to Kingdom Hearts and find out the secrets of existence. He could preserve the balance between the light and darkness forever without having to worry about one becoming stronger than the other!

The keyblade master hummed and stroked his chin, "Hmm…I suppose that will have to do. I do thank you for your help creature, for you have given me the knowledge of how to create the χ-blade, something no one else knows and, I'm sorry to say, no one else can ever know."

Before the Soul King could do or say anything a stream of dark lightning sparked out of Xehanort's glove and wrapped around his body, "I am sure that since I have opened the way to this world others will soon follow. I cannot allow the knowledge of the χ-blade falling in the wrong hands. There are those that will use the χ-blade to tip the balance of the worlds towards either purely light or purely darkness. That is something I will never allow to happen. Goodbye Soul King."

With a simple squeeze of his hand the Soul King exploding into a shower of energy. As the light died down and Xehanort saw that he was now alone in the throne room he realized the Soul King had escaped his attack at the last second. Slightly annoyed, he decided to let it be and turned to leave. His time of safely remaining in the Realm of Darkness was running low and he needed to leave.

As he took his first steps out of the palace he gazed up at the sky and noticed with amused interest that the once perpetually blue skies had started to darken and an eerie wind had begun to pick up. Letting out a chuckle he began walking down the long staircase.

"I still find myself amazed at how fast the heartless can move. It is almost as if they were waiting for this moment."


	4. Chapter 4: The Darkness Invasion

_Here is chapter 4 of Key through the Soul. That last chapter nearly doubled my total number of views which means you readers are really enjoying this story. I have to say, a lot of you were annoyed at how I basically killed off the Soul King, the supposedly most powerful figure in Bleach, in only a few seconds but do not worry. You will find out just what happened to the Soul King in this chapter. There is a lot going on in the chapters across multiple worlds and realms so it might get a little confusing to some of you. Anyway don't forget to read and review and, as always, enjoy._

_Something that I will mention several times in this chapter is that spiritual energy, or reiryoku, has almost no effect on a somebody such as a keyblade wielder. The reason is because reiryoku was born from the world trying to fix an imbalance. One product of this imbalance was the creation of reiryoku, which acted as a stabilizer of sorts to keep everything from falling apart further. This also led to the creation of spiritual beings such as hollows, shinigami, and quincy, all of which use this inferior source of energy. In order for a kido to have the same effect as a magic spell of the same difficulty it would need to be overpowered by at least twenty times, which is impossible even for some of the more powerful captains._

_**Arrankor:**__ Thanks. I have a lot planned for Ichigo and whoever I decide will survive the destruction of his world._

_**Cybresamurai:**__ The answer to your question will be in this chapter._

_**Surpise:**__ Thank you for your review. Aizen's reason for joining up with Kisuke Urahara is purely survival. The enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of situation. His knowledge of the keyblade and other long forgotten topics have allowed him to piece together what would happen if the keyhole that the Soul King protects were to be compromised. As for hollow Ichigo and Zangetsu, I gave a small hint as to the fate of one of them during the first chapter in the Dive to the Heart scene. _

_**Uber Prinny Lord:**__ The reports of the death of the Soul King has been greatly exaggerated. Did you honestly think the Soul King would be done in by a single attack from Xehanort?_

_**The Zogg:**__ Your review was interesting because it brought up a lot of points. The reason that Senjumaru did not immediately kill Ichigo was because of her curiosity. While the directive from the Soul King was to kill him it allowed her enough leeway to put it off as long as possible to find out what made Ichigo so dangerous. Granted, that led to him awakening the keyblade and surviving, but curiosity did kill the cat after all. The hints from the manga suggest Senjumaru was from the Twelfth Division so it would stand to reason she had some sort of scientific curiosity about Ichigo's powers. As for the Soul King's death, he will die just not from what happened in Chapter 3. Someone able to hide the world for thousands of years can't be done in by one attack._

_**Tetsudai-kun:**__ I listened to Destati after reading your review and it does fit rather well. Thanks for the advice._

_**Luckenhaft:**__ It's no problem but yes, this does take place someplace prior to Birth By Sleep. The overall point in the timeline will be hinted at the end of this chapter._

* * *

_..._

* * *

Xehanort calmly walked down the steps of the Royal Palace as the sky continued to darken above and an eerie wind picked up. As the shadows around him grew longer and began to twist and distort the keyblade master was deep in thought. His conversation with the creature that called itself the Soul King had been very enlightening but he was still missing several important pieces. The Soul King had mentioned equal amounts of light and dark coming together to form the -blade, but how does one accomplish such a thing?

"_Is it a matter of the heart?" _he thought with a frown, _"Years of studying and traveling and yet I still know so little about how the heart truly works. If I was younger perhaps I could dedicate time to studying the creation of the χ-blade but I am old and tired. If I had an apprentice I could train him or her to continue my work."_

As he thought about taking on a pupil his mind focused on Ichigo Kurosaki. Xehanort could not remember meeting a somebody with that much innate talent for the keyblade since himself. He briefly thought about helping Ichigo leave this world before the heartless dragged it into the darkness but quickly decided against it. If Ichigo could not figure out a way to escape the collapse of his world on his own then he was not worth his time and effort. He would not coddle or lend a helping hand to someone that weak.

A familiar presence made itself known and Xehanort came to a stop. Tilting his head to the side to avoid the lance of spiritual energy he said, "You just don't learn-"

The keyblade master had to give the Soul King credit where it was due when it came to tenacity but even that had its limits. Quickly pivoting on his foot he spun around the second attack and diverted it to the side where it impacted against one of the many floating islands, turning it and everything around it to dust. As the enormous fireball briefly illuminated the realm Xehanort looked at his hand with mild interest. Everything he wore up to his elbow had been disintegrated just from the contact and his palm was burned and blistered. Flexing his hand to make sure he could still use it he said, "Your power befits your station. I had thought the energy you incomplete beings use would be unable to affect a somebody such as myself but even a weak attack can do damage to the overconfident. I will have to be careful in the future to avoid making such rookie mistakes."

The Soul King didn't respond to Xehanort's comment as he gasped for breath in exhaustion and collapsed to the ground. When the keyblade master had struck him with that lightning magic he had been forced to use most of his powers to deflect the attack long enough to teleport himself to safety but it wasn't enough. As rivers of silvery blood trailed down his body and he struggled to remain conscious the Soul King knew just how close he had come to actually dying. With most of his power depleted and his Royal Guards deployed to the Soul Society and the Human World he was completely vulnerable to Xehanort's attacks. Gritting his teeth and steadying his shaking body he glared at the keyblade master.

"**You…do you have any idea what dangers you have wrought to this world? Without my full power to hide the world there is nothing to prevent the living darkness from finding this world and devouring it!"**

Xehanort turned away from the Soul King, exposing his back to spiritual being, "I know exactly what I have done. The question is do you?"

"**What?"**

"You don't even know what you are," Xehanort said sympathetically, "During the Keyblade War, those original wielders of the keyblade worried more about power then protecting the worlds they visited. Instead of locking the keyhole on a world they would instead take a denizen of that world and grant them the power necessary to guard it. These guardians had but one directive – prevent the heartless from devouring the world by any means necessary. A long and convoluted protection but effective…at first. Over time the war ended and these keyblade wielders died and the worlds they visited were forgotten while the guardians continued to exist."

"**And you say I am wrong? That my purpose of protecting the balance of the world is incorrect?"**

Xehanort looked at the Soul King with derision, "You're so called balance nearly destroyed the world by destroying all the darkness within it. The difference dimensions within your world is proof enough of that. Darkness cannot exist without the light and vice versa. The idea that a single being, no matter how virtuous or righteous, can safeguard an entire world is flawed. You cannot think outside of what you were told and thus you are just a creature without a heart or soul. You simply exist."

"**I shall destroy you and everything that threatens the balance!" **the Soul King roared. Surrounded by a bright white aura he staggered to his feet and raised a hand to the sky, **"Come to me my guards! Protect me!"**

Xehanort didn't tense or flinch as the power wafted off of the Soul King. As the seconds rolled by and nothing happened a small smirk spread across his face at the accusing look from the Soul King, "Do you think that I had anything to do with this? This is all your own doing."

With a flick of his wrist his keyblade reappeared in his hand, "Surviving my attack has earned my respect but it left you weakened to the point where you cannot summon your servants. Although nothing prevents me from killing you once and for all, we are out of time."

The sky, which had continued to darken throughout the encounter, suddenly began to form swirling portals of darkness by the dozens. As soon as the portals stabilized dozens of heartless began pouring out and into the world, **"It can't be…the living darkness…"**

"I suppose that is my queue to leave this world," Xehanort said and held out his hand. In a flash of light his keyblade transformed and rebuilt itself into its glider form. Stepping onto the hovering vehicle and using his magic to anchor himself to it, Xehanort turned around as he began to fly away, "I bid you farewell. I wonder how long you will be able to protect the keyhole of your world form the heartless with your power diminished."

The elderly keyblade master vanished in a trail of light into the Lanes Between the worlds, leaving the Soul King alone and at the mercy of the swarming heartless quickly approaching him. Resigned to his fate but unwilling to go out without a fight he gathered up the remaining dredges of his powers and was once again surrounded by a brilliant white aura, **"I shall not let you creatures pass! I will fulfill my purpose to preserve the balance!"**

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 4: Death comes on a Whisper**

The citizens of Karakura Town panicked as explosions ripped through the streets. Both the police and fire departments searched for the cause but came up empty while the death toll began to rise into the hundreds. As evacuations took place in the downtown region of the city one side of a building exploded outwards and caused the top seven stories to crash to the ground below.

Sosuke Aizen felt a minimal amount of pain across his back from being thrown through yet another building but chalked his discomfort up to being on the losing end of the fight. Skidding to a stop in the air and analyzing the destruction his fight had caused he realized it wasn't a miscalculation on his part but simply a lack of appreciable data. He could not have known the absolute abilities the Oken bestowed on the Royal Guard and how it would effect their abilities. Gazing at the smoke billowing out from the destroyed building through his cracked glasses Aizen caught a glimpse of yellow light and quickly stepped to the side as a bolt of lightning pierced through his previous location. Quickly breaking down that the kido was just a diversion he twisted around and blocked Senjumaru's sneak attack with his zanpakuto.

"I must admit," he said as he zanpakuto was slowly forced back, "You are far stronger than I anticipated."

The Royal Guard didn't respond and began attacking him with all of her puppet arms from every angle imaginable. As Aizen blocked and parried the blows he quickly discovered that despite having nearly ten arms in total there was no pattern to exploit. Despite the left and right arms using separate hemispheres of the brain they usually work in tandem, which makes dual wielding difficult to pull off without leaving oneself open to attack. Whatever experiments Senjumaru had done to herself seemed to eliminate that hurdle, allowing her full access to every one of her arms without needing to consciously control every movement.

"_If I cannot exploit her zanjutsu style I simply need to make an opening."_

As Aizen continued to clash blades with Senjumaru he purposely missed one specific swing, allowing the captain to bring her body in closer. Just as the broadsword was about to cut into the flesh on his neck Aizen disappeared in a burst of shunpo and reappeared behind Senjumaru with his zanpakuto already arcing through the air towards her back. Before he could make contact his blade was blocked by three of her puppet arms but as a testament to the strength of the blow two of the arms were severed and the third was cut nearly in half.

Pulling his zanpakuto out of the arm with a quick snap of his wrist Aizen said, "Those arms of yours are becoming quite the nuisance and that regeneration is not helping. I wonder, though, how many times you can regenerate those arms before your reiryoku runs low."

Senjumaru simply glared at him as she regenerated the three arms and spun around with a finger pointed at him, "Hadō #4. Byakurai."

The captain of the Fifth Division brought up his zanpakuto to block the kido just as the arc of lightning screamed through the sky towards him. He found himself forced back as the power behind the kido was greater then he expected and it took him several seconds to divert the kido towards the ground and away from him. As flames erupted from the impact and spread across several city blocks Aizen used shunpo to once again avoid Senjumaru's follow up attack.

As his upper arm was slightly cut Aizen let out a hollow chuckle, "I find it interesting that the Gotei 13 has not yet responded to our reiryoku. I take it you put up a barrier around Karakura town or ordered them not to interfere?"

Instead of answering she held up the flat end of one of her katana's and fired a kido in the shape of a yellow crescent at Aizen. The captain easily dodged to the side but frowned when the kido hit the ground and exploded, killing dozens of people.

"You really don't care about the collateral damage do you?" he asked calmly while overlooking the wanton destruction below, "While I understand that sometimes in war there are unfortunate casualties no matter how much one prepares there is a limit. How many hundreds of lives have you ended following this single directive of the Soul King? The Senjumaru Shutara that I studied would never have condoned such actions, she was much more conservative and intelligent in the use of her powers. You, on the other hand, are simply throwing the strongest and fastest attacks and spells at me you know simply because you are losing your temper. That does not become of you, captain of the Royal Guard but I wonder something…"

His train of thought was interrupted as Senjumaru visibly teleported across the sky towards him and clashed blades once again. Slightly struggling Aizen calmly stared into her emotionless eyes, "I wonder how much of you actually remains after all these years."

Aizen's comment seemed to have struck something with the Royal Guard and the dispassionate face cracked just a tad, "Who are you to judge what I do? You, who have done far worse then I?"

"Oh?" he mocked and twisted around a kido-enhanced katana.

Senjumaru continued speaking while charging up spiritual energy between her hands, "I do what I have to in order to preserve the balance of the worlds. All you care about is power and control, nothing will ever be enough for your ego. Given time even the powers of the Soul King would no longer satisfy you."

Aizen tilted his head downwards, shadowing his face, "What you said is quite amusing. Is that what you truly believe or what you have been told to believe?"

"What are you talking about?"

He ducked under a hastily swung blade, "I'm just curious as to whether you realize the side effects of having the Oken implanted into your very bones. While I'm quite sure you know of its ability to act as a key to the Royal Palace realm you are probably unaware of the second effect."

Senjumaru grit her teeth in anger before quickly regaining control over her emotions, "It does not matter what you think or what you say. You could know everything there is to know about the Zero Division, the Soul King and the Oken but if you die in battle none of that matters. You may be nearly as strong as a Royal Guard but you still fall short of what it takes to defeat me! Now-"

She was cut off as her side was cut open by Aizen, whose zanpakuto was covered in her blood, "Did you forget that this is a battle, not a conversation? It would be wise to remain vigilant."

Senjumaru spun around and pointed all her hands at Aizen, "Gaki Rekko!"

Several circles of green light formed around her body before shooting towards Aizen as a multitude of green lasers. The captain deftly deflected several of the lasers and proceeded to dodge the rest, all the while moving away from Senjumaru.

"You should know it is pointless to dodge Gaki Rekko. With my enhanced reiryoku the spiritual lasers will track you no matter where you go!"

Aizen blocked one of the beams only for it to explode upon contact. Quickly fleeing the smoke with his sleeve burnt away he dispassionately watched the rest of the lasers shoot up at him from below, "Is that so? Bakudō #81: Danku."

The translucent barrier formed underneath him just as the remainder laser beams reached him. The barrier was able to sustain itself against the series of impacts for nearly ten seconds before shattering like glass and disappearing. Senjumaru watched the smoke carefully for any sign of the captain's body. Even if he could have survived the attack there was no way he could have emerged unscathed. When the smoke cleared after several seconds and she couldn't find a trace of Aizen she grew frustrated.

"Where did he go?"

The stab of pain across her was evidence enough where he was.

"How did someone like you become a member of the Royal Guard?" he asked in a manner similar to talking about the weather, "You lose your focus quite easily and proceed to use a powerful kido only to leave yourself wide open. You may have more reiryoku and combat experience then me but you will find that your intelligence leaves much to be desired."

When Senjumaru swung her blades at him despite the distance between them, Aizen had the forethought to move out of the way. As he stepped out of the way, his hair blew as if hit by an intense breeze. Following the arc of the attack but not letting his guard down he saw a building directly behind him get sliced to pieces.

"How dull. You used the force of your swings to release crescents of air that can cut through anything. If you are just going to cast kido spells willy-nilly I suppose I can indulge in such a barbaric act as well."

Aizen vanished and Senjumaru's eyes widen in shock when she heard his voice coming from directly above her, "Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders…"

"If you think I'll let you finish!"

In a surprising move she pointed one of her puppet arms at Aizen and the captain felt as the scimitar in its hand pierced through his shoulder at hypersonic speeds. Undeterred he continued chanting, "Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired. Hado #91: Senjū Kōten Taihō."

Ten spears of pink energy came into existence around Aizen and Senjumaru tried to move out of the way only to find herself bound by a length of previously invisible spiritual chain. As the energy spears hit, her scream of frustration was drowned out by the culminating explosion that decimated the ground below.

Landing on a piece of rubble that used to be the roof of a building Aizen watched something fall out of the explosion and impact the ground nearby. His battle with Senjumaru Shutara was not going the way he had anticipated. He was ashamed to admit that if she used even half the intelligence she had been known for he would lose despite the plans and tactics he had come up with. Glancing at the bleeding wound in his shoulder Aizen mentally praised his opponent for attacking him at the single instance where his barrier kido were at their weakest. If her accuracy had been any better the would might have even been fatal.

Hopping off the rubble and walking towards his downed opponent Aizen began to gently clap, "Bravo. I expected a member of the Zero Division to be strong but you have exceeded all my expectations by far Senjumaru Shutara. To have survived a point blank Senjū Kōten Taihō is nothing short of amazing."

Pushing a piece of rubble off her body Senjumaru fell to her hands and knees while glaring at Aizen with as much hatred as she could muster. Her entire body was littered with first and second degree burns and every one of her puppet arms had been destroyed in the resultant kido explosion. As she took hasty breathes of air into her scorched lungs, she spat out a glob of blood at Aizen, "You cannot win."

"Oh? Is that so?" Aizen spread his arms out, "Then what are you waiting for? Where is your counterattack or desperate final gambit?"

Senjumaru chuckled and said in a much clearer voice, "You cannot win no matter how much you injure me."

Aizen raised an eyebrow in surprise as the Royal Guard stood up despite her debilitating injuries and noted that the burns covering her body were vanishing, "As long as the Soul King lives the Oken in my bones with prevent me from dying. You can behead me, disintegrate my body to nothing but ashes, you can even seal me away with kido but you cannot stop me. I will protect the balance of the worlds and I will do so by killing Ichigo Kurosaki after I finish dealing with you."

"Balance?" Aizen asked mockingly. He was impressed with how quickly the Oken was healing her body and began formulating plans to counter such a regeneration, "I must know how one can restore balance when the balance has never existed."

Senjumaru narrowed her eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"You do not know? Well then, allow me to refresh your memory. You may be unaware of the details but this 'balance' you speak of is nothing but a farce perpetrated by the thing you call the Soul King. Everything you know, everything you have believed has been nothing but a lie. The balance cannot be broken because it has never existed in the first place."

Something inside Senjumaru seemed to snap and she let out a piercing scream. Aizen watched with mild interest as her wounds began healing at an accelerated rate. Disappearing in a burst of shunpo he reappeared in front of her with his zanpakuto stabbed through her stomach.

"Did you really think I'll allow you to heal just like that? How naïve."

With a wet ripping sound, several puppet arms tore out of Senjumaru's back and surrounded Aizen, His eyes widened in shock as several high-level kido began to form on each of the arms, "You fell right for my trap. Now die!"

Just before she could fire the kido she gasped for air and stumbled away from Aizen while inadvertently pulling his zanpakuto out of her body. As she gasped for breathe and held a hand over her heart she realized that the blood from the stab wound wasn't slowing down. Visibly sweating and falling to her knees she gave one final pleading look at Aizen before collapsing onto the ground and not moving.

Aizen stared at her body for a moment before frowning. Sheathing his zanpakuto he began to walk away, "It is as you said, as long as the Soul King lives you are immortal. But the opposite is also true. If something were to happen to the Soul King you would be affected as well. The price of the Oken was your very soul. Goodbye Senjumaru Shutara."

A rumbling in the sky drew Aizen's attention and he looked up as the once sunny day darkened and black clouds rolled in, enveloping the city in a blanket of darkness and shadows. Pulling his destroyed glasses off his face and crushing them in his hand Aizen watched as several portals of darkness opened above and heartless began raining down.

* * *

...

* * *

"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens! Hyōrinmaru!"

With an eardrum shattering roar, a Chinese dragon composed entirely of ice formed from the end of Toshiro's zanpakuto and snaked its way through the streets of the Seireitei towards the nearest rampaging Darkside. The massive heartless turned its nearly expressionless head towards the attack and raised an enormous arm. The ice dragon collided with the heartless's forearm and instantly froze it and the surrounding body under several feet of ice. Toshiro watched as the ice from Hyōrinmaru quickly spread across the Darkside's body until the entire creature was immobilized. Landing on a nearby roof Toshiro heard the cheers of his fellow shinigami but knew that the battle was only beginning. In the distance he could see several more Darkside tearing their way through the Seireitei. As his foot was about to push off the roof he was nearly floored when a wave of darkness exploded out from the Darkside. With an expression of shock on his face he turned around to see cracks and fissures forming in the ice coating the Darkside.

Realizing what was going to happen, he shouted to the shinigami below, "Get out of there!"

His warning came a moment too late as the Darkside released a second wave of darkness from its body, shattering the ice and destroying everything within one hundred feet of it. Toshiro had to shield his eyes from the flying debris and when he opened them again he was stunned to find nothing remaining but the heartless standing in a crater and looking at him.

Spiritual pressure exploded off of Toshiro, bathing him in a white aura as he focused his attention on the creature responsible. As he prepared to unleash everything he had, the surrounding area suddenly became covered in shadows. Twisting to see what was causing it, his body wasn't even halfway around before the massive fist of a second Darkside slammed into his side.

A spittle of blood flew out of Toshiro's mouth as he was flung through the air above the Seireitei, _"I didn't even sense the second creature! How could they not have any spiritual pressure? Is this how they got Rangiku? She should have seen it coming."_

Rangiku had fallen victim to the creatures within minutes of their arrival. As the Gotei 13 was desperately trying to regain control of the situation and counter the heartless, Toshiro had ordered Rangiku to gather the entire Tenth Division to push the heartless back. Everything had gone well for the first few minutes until a new variety of the creatures had appeared, or rather shown itself. One second she was ordering the lower seated officers to various sections of the Seireitei, the next a wide blue blade was protruding from her body. He had stared in horror as the horned black creature had let out a hollow laugh as she collapsed to the ground unmoving. Even as his zanpakuto utterly destroyed the heartless responsible, it didn't help the agony of Rangiku's death that coursed through his body.

"I got you Captain Hitsugaya."

Toshiro felt something hit his body from behind and for a moment he thought it was another heartless until his eyes saw familiar armored gauntlets. Turning his head up he saw, or rather didn't, the helmeted visage of Sajin Komamura, the captain of the Seventh Division. Komamura fell through the air and hit the ground hard, his feet leaving trails of rubble in the streets of the Seireitei. Once Komamura came to a halt, he released Toshiro. Spitting the remaining blood in his mouth onto the ground the white-haired captain gave a solemn thank you.

"Thank you for the assistance Captain Komamura."

"It was not a problem," Komamura replied. Toshiro could see a large amount of damage to the giant captain's armor and was amazed it had not fallen apart yet, "We cannot afford for a captain to fall fighting against these creatures."

Toshiro's eyes narrowed, "If only it were that easy. These things are unaffected by anything based on reiryoku. Kido, shikai, bankai…anything that uses reiryoku based attacks is ineffective. Only physical attacks from my zanpakuto seem to damage or kill them but the worst thing about them is that they are undetectable when hidden. Rangiku found that out the hard way…"

Komamura saw the pain in Toshiro's face and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Do not drown your sorrows just yet. Focus your mind on repelling the creatures. Once the Seireitei is safe you can mourn for your fallen lieutenant. That is what I plan to do."

It took several seconds for Komamura's words to pierce Toshiro's addled mind but by the time it did the captain was surrounded in a fiery red aura, "If physical attacks are the only thing that can slay these creatures then that is what I'll give them! Bankai: Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"

* * *

...

* * *

"Maybe I'm still hung-over and this is all a dream?"

Shunsui Kyōraku, captain of the Eighth Division, grumbled and sighed as he twisted around the clawed grasp of a Neoshadow. When he had woken up this morning without a hangover it had looked to be such a great day. Even Nanao scolding him to do his paperwork and behave like a real captain couldn't even get him down. So when these black, shadow-like creatures invaded the Seireitei around midmorning and began destroying everything in sight, Shunsui knew this was going to be a terrible day.

"Do you think this is the appropriate time to be talking?"

Shunsei let out an unintelligent 'huh' before ducking and bisecting an Invisible that tried to skewer him from behind. Nine times they had tried to do that to him and each time he had easily avoided and killed the heartless, "What do you mean Jushiro?"

The captain of the Thirteenth Division, Jushiro Ukitake, let out a exasperated sigh, "We are in the middle of the largest invasion of the Seireitei in hundreds of years and you are complaining about your drinking?"

"Well yeah," Shunsei responded matter-of-factly as he cut down several more Neoshadows with his zanpakuto. He had learned rather quickly that only physical attacks seem to work on this creatures. Nanao had tried to use kido on them but to no effect. She would have been hurt or killed if he hadn't stepped in to save her, "What else explains an invasion by creatures that have no spiritual pressure or signatures?"

"I will admit you have a point there," Jushiro conceded and spun close to the ground as two Invisibles made themselves known and tried to stab him from opposite sides. One second later they were melting back into the shadows they arrived in as his zanpakuto split them in two, "But we need to focus on the matter at hand. Cutting down these creatures is pointless if the portals they arrive in aren't shut."

Shunsei tipped up his straw hat as he took in the swirling portals of darkness hovering in the darkened sky, "That is a big problem but I don't think it's one you or I could solve."

Ukitake reluctantly nodded as he took a small breather. The creatures attacking them appeared to back off for a moment, allowing the two of them time to have a much needed break. Back to back with his best friend he spoke without ever taking his eyes away from the shadows surrounding them, "Do you have a plan Shunsei?"

The normally flamboyant captain was somber in his reply, "Not really. I didn't wake up this morning planning for an invasion from unholy monsters. I _did_ have a plan in case of a Quincy invasion though."

A streak of lightning illuminated the area and both captains shivered slightly as a cold wind began gusting through the Soul Society, "This isn't normal weather Shunsei. Do you suppose the creatures are causing it?"

"That…or they are here because of it. First the sun went away only for those weird black clouds to take its place and now a strange wind. Something feels really wrong about all this."

Ukitake cursed under his breath as the Neoshadows and other heartless began a second assault, "We need to regroup with the other divisions. We cannot hold out against this many creatures!"

Shunsei nodded and disappeared in a burst of shunpo onto a nearby roof. As Ukitake appeared besides him and the two captain pushed off the roof they barely dodged the fist of a Darkside that came out of the shadows beneath them. As the shockwave disrupted their flight and they landed harshly on the ground nearby Shunsei whistled in awe as the giant Darkside towered above them. As a second one made its presence known Shunsei sighed and tossed his straw hat to the ground. Raising his zanpakutos he turned to Jushiro.

"So…you want the one on the right or the left?"

* * *

...

* * *

Kaname Tousen shoulders stiffened as a wave of spiritual pressure hit him, "Sajin must be having difficulty against these creatures. He has already released his bankai."

The blind captain of the Ninth Division vanished in a burst of shunpo as his sensitive ears picked up the subtle displacement of air directly behind him. He disappeared just as an Invisible heartless emerged out of a portal of darkness with its sword swinging. The heartless didn't have time to figure out what happened before its head was severed from its body by Tousen's zanpakuto. Shaking some of the liquid darkness that made the heartless up off his blade he turned towards the Seireitei. Already he could feel several strong spiritual pressures, most likely third seats and lieutenants, rapidly fading away. That either meant one of two things. These creatures could mask the spiritual pressures of those they were fighting or the shinigami were dying off rapidly. Neither were preferable choices but Tousen focused back on the fight. With his ability to sense spiritual pressure due to his lack of sight no longer effective, he was being forced to utilized every one of his other honed senses just to survive.

"These creatures are difficult to fight. I find myself unable to sense them due to their lack of spiritual pressure."

"Do not dawdle on that when you should be fighting them. Shoot to Kill! Shinsō!"

Kaname felt Gin Ichimaru's shikai tear through the heartless surrounding them within seconds. If there was ever a time he was grateful for the conniving captain's overly violent shikai it was now. With the creatures unable to be harmed by attacks utilizing reiryoku, it seemed zanjutsu was the only way to fight them. But still…something seemed off about the normally sarcastically polite captain.

"You seem disturbed by something Gin."

Tousen picked up a subtle shift in the spiritual pressure surrounding Gin, "Rangiku is dead."

"Rangiku?" Tousen asked surprised, "Are you referring to the Lieutenant of the Tenth Division? Captain Hitsugaya's partner? I did not know you cared for her that much."

"We grew up together," Gin answered without the ever-present grin he had become known for on his face. In a burst of rapid movement he swung his zanpakuto through the air and destroyed several Darkball heartless that had futilely attempted to hide their presence from him, "I saved her from starvation, grew up with her and watched as she became a lieutenant. I'm not angry that she's dead, I'm _pissed_."

The venom in Gin's voice took the blind captain my surprise. He had never seen him so angry, or rather angry at all. This was new to him and he did not know how to answer, "I do not think there is anything I can say to ease the burden you must feel. But I know if I were you, I would take my revenge on the creatures that killed her."

Tousen turned away from Gin to reengage the heartless and he could feel his fellow captain follow him. It would be good for Gin to take his mind off of Lieutenant Matsumoto's death until the invaders could be repelled. He was sure Gin would not be the only one to experience such a personal loss on this day and if they did not act fast there would be many more lives lost to the shadowy creatures. His ears picking up a now familiar rumbling along the ground he turned towards the source of the disturbance and held his zanpakuto facing the sky before rotating it slowly in a circle.

"Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō!"

Attempting to perform his second movement was considerably more difficult when he stood on the ground. If he did not take precautionary measures, the blades he released would go off target and possibly hit his allies. This time though the blades flew true through the air towards the Darkside that had just arrived through a nearby portal. The building-sized heartless had no time to do anything before thousands of blades pierced its body for over a minute. Letting out a silent roar it collapsed onto the Seireitei with a loud thud before vanishing back into the shadows it was born from.

As he watched the creature vanish Tousen gulped down air. He had never held Benihikō for that long a time and the amount of reiryoku needed was noticeable even to a captain such as himself. Turning to Gin, who he sensed hadn't moved since talking to him, he asked, "Will you be able to continue fighting Gin?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" the insufferable grin was back on Gin's face and it seemed that he was back to normal, "Of course I can continue fighting but I've come to a surprisingly simple revelation."

An unseen eyebrow rose behind Tousen's visor, "You have?"

"Yup," Gin stepped forward past Tousen as several Darksides approached the two captains. It seemed that the destruction of one of their brethren had drawn their attention and, Gin noted amused, they were surrounded by an aura of palpable darkness that made his skin crawl even at the distance they were. Holding his zanpakuto with both hands and the hilt against his chest he continued, "I might never know which of these creatures killed Rangiku so I think I'll just have to keep killing them and assume I'll find it eventually. Bankai: Kamishini no Yari."

* * *

...

* * *

The Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho, better known as the Coordinated Relief Station, had never been so inundated with injured shinigami in over six hundred years. Isane Kotetsu, Lieutenant of the Fourth Division, was in a tizzy as she oversaw the various injured and the treatment they were receiving. As she passed by a bed with a shinigami missing his left arm and covered in suspicious black burns at the edge of the wound she couldn't help but shiver in nervousness. Just what kind of creatures could do this to a shinigami?

"I need a Class-VII burn salve at bed 12!"

Isane quickly ran over to the bed and ran a diagnostic kido on the moaning patient. The man's body had the strange burns over nearly half of his body and none of them were responding to any healing kido she or any other shinigami in the Fourth Division knew. As she focused her efforts on the burns over the man's abdomen, hoping to relieve any stress on his internal organs, she heard one of the nurses next to her let out a scream.

"What are you-"

She got her answer as the shinigami began screaming and thrashing in his bed. Before her very eyes the marks that she had assumed were burns began to spread across his body, covering it in an inky blackness. Within moments his entire body was solid black and before she or any of the nurses could do anything, disappeared in a burst of darkness and leaving the bed completely empty. Isane stood with her mouth agape before turning towards one of the senior nurses. Swallowing the lump in her throat, which she noted was the first time healing anyone had caused her to feel nervous, she asked, "Is this the first patient to…go like this?"

The nurse seemed almost as hesitant to reply to the lieutenant, "I heard from the other wards that injured shinigami would disappear but I thought it was just rumors."

Isane simply nodded and looked across the ward and the other injured shinigami. Just from that cursory glance she could spot nearly a dozen people with the black marks on their skin and couldn't help but wonder if they would all fall to the same fate as the poor man in bed 12. Shaking her head to disturb the depressing thoughts coursing through her mind Isane walked away from the bed. She needed to complete her rounds without fail. A lot of these shinigami did not become injured from fighting, but from the large and monstrous creatures destroying buildings as they swept through the Soul Society and Seireitei.

"You seem upset about something Isane."

She nearly jumped in fright as the soothing voice of her captain came from directly behind her. Twisting around with a hand over her rapidly beating heart she shouted, "Captain?"

Please do not shout Isane" her captain reprimanded without raising her voice, "There are injured shinigami here that require rest."

Isane hung her head, "Yes captain."

"I am glad you understand," Retsu Unohana nodded and slowly walked towards the nearest bed and picked up the clipboard hanging over the edge, "Has any of the prognoses changed?"

"I'm afraid not captain," Isane confessed with a sigh, "None of their wounds respond to any of our medicines."

"What happened to the patient in bed 12?" Unohana asked with a visible frown.

Isane wasn't sure how to explain to her captain what exactly happened, "I'm not entirely sure. One minute we were treating him for what seemed to be extensive second and third degree burns and the next he was covered in a…darkness of sorts before his body disappeared. I've never seen anything like it."

"Neither have I," Unohana agreed. The captain was about to make another comment when one of the nurses across the ward screamed and pointed out a window. Isane rushed over and nearly let out one herself as several Darkside heartless stomped their way towards the Fourth Division, their feet shaking the ground as the embodiments of living darkness grew ever closer.

Unohana sighed and turned to leave, "If you will excuse me for a moment Isane, it appears I need to deal with this personally. You are in charge until this invasion is over or the Fourth Division is once again secure."

A cold chill ran up the lieutenant's spine as she witness the cold smile on her captain's face. Turning to a senior nurse she shouted, "You're in charge of this ward until I return!" and ran off after Unohana. Her captain may have ordered her to remain inside but she was damned if she did not at least offer to help. These creatures were unlike anything she had ever seen before and used terrifying abilities to kill and maim shinigami left and right. Bursting out the door and into the Seireitei she looked around through the darkening skies until her eyes spotted her captain standing eloquently on a nearby roof directly in the path of the Darksides.

She was about to shout out for her captain to move when Unohana drew her sword and briefly disappeared. When she reappeared, the three Darksides stopped moving as their heads slid off their shoulders and melted in the darkness. Isane stood completely in shock at the display of power from her captain and didn't notice her until she spoke.

"Do you intend to stand with your mouth open to catch flies Isane? Killing those three creatures only temporarily saved the Fourth Division. I am sure the next time they attack there will be more of them and I am not sure how effective my tactics will be. Now go back inside and heal those injured shinigami."

"Y-Yes captain!"

* * *

...

* * *

The barrier surrounded the shop shuddered and groaned as the heartless outside relentlessly tried to break through it. The creatures of darkness had sensed the keyblade the moment they arrived on the world and had immediately went after the scent only to be blocked by the barrier. The creatures, possessing a simple mind, did not comprehend that there was something blocking their path and relentlessly threw their bodies or fists against the translucent shield in the hope that it would break and allow them through.

Inside, with their hands held flat against the ground in the middle of a sealing formation, sat Kisuke and Tessai. Not even an hour ago Ichigo had nearly fallen over when he felt a wave of darkness appear in Karakura Town. Kisuke had not felt anything but with everything going on had acted anyway. It was a good thing he did because not a minute after heading outside to reinforce the kido barrier the heartless arrived, in force, and attempted to break through. To his shock the creatures were entirely immune to the offensive powers of the barrier. He had designed it to violently repel any intruders attempting to break through it but the heartless did not seem to register it and that was a problem. The barrier continuously tried to attack the heartless and used up a small percentage of its total reiryoku and with hundreds of heartless attempting to break through the nearly one hundred meter diameter spherical barrier, it would not last much longer without constantly being resupplied by Tessai and himself.

Kisuke wiped some sweat from his brow before resuming his work. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep up the barrier. At this rate they had ten, maybe twenty minutes, before their reiryoku ran too low to continue fueling the barrier.

"Kisuke!"

The shopkeeper craned his head upward at the familiar voice. A figure was leaping across the nearby rooftops and even with the black clouds casting a dark shadow across the city he could make out the shape of his childhood friend. Yoruichi Shihoin jumped into the air over the horde of heartless and easily passed through the barrier, much to the collective ire of the heartless surrounding it. Landing with a dull thud on the ground she softly let down her two passengers, Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki.

"What the heck is going on?" Karin asked after getting her bearings after being dragged literally halfway across Karakura Town, "You're not human are you?"

"Ichigo has one clever little sister Kisuke," Yoruichi commented.

"That he does," Urahara agreed, "Karin was it? If you would take your sister into the store and head to the back room you will find your dad. He's quite injured and could use your support."

"Papa's hurt?" Yuzu cried and ran into the store with Karin forcibly dragged along by her wrist.

When the sounds coming from the Kurosaki twins died down Yoruichi walked over and sat down next to Kisuke. Putting her hands onto the seal to help relieve some of the reiryoku burden she turned and scowled at him, "When were you going to tell me what the hell is going on? One minute I'm hoping to relax a bit before training Ichigo's friends and the next you send me to bring his sisters to your shop. Oh, and you forgot to mention the rampaging monsters of darkness destroying the town!"

Kisuke recoiled slightly away from her, "Don't shoot the messenger! I found out about the heartless just moments before I called you. It was actually Ichigo who sensed them coming."

Youichi glared at Kisuke one last time for emphasis before gazing at the sky above. Not even an hour ago it had been a clear and sunny spring day, the kind of day you people like to spend outside or with friends, but then something shifted. Thick black clouds, the likes of which she had never seen before, blew in out of nowhere and blocked out everything, leaving Karakura Town covered in shadows. If that wasn't enough an eerie and sinister wind soon followed that made her shiver just from the touch and the creatures, heartless she reminded herself, they were nothing like hollows or arrancar. They were much, much worse.

"What are these heartless anyway Kisuke?"

He shrugged, "I'm not quite sure myself but Aizen says they are the living embodiment of the darkness within the heart."

"Aizen?" she asked shocked, "He's here?"

"Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Aizen came to me early this morning with vital information about what is happening. It is because of him I was able to enact this barrier and that Ichigo is still alive. One of the Royal Guard arrived to kill Ichigo and Aizen basically saved his life. It's been a very strange day Yoruichi."

Yoruichi looked at her friend and didn't know whether to kill him or kiss him. On one hand he was working with the very man that ruined dozens of lives for his experiments but on the other hand the heartless were a much nearer threat. Making up her mind she raised a fist and punched Urahara in the face.

"Gah! My nose!" he groaned but somehow managed to keep one hand firmly on the sealing matrix, "What was that for?"

"That was for working with Aizen!" she growled.

When Kisuke didn't say anything in his defense Yoruichi turned and saw just how depressed he actually was. For all his intelligence and planning he could not have forseen anything like this happening. He had planned to help Ichigo become a powerful shinigami and stop Aizen's plans while rescuing Rukia. How could he have seen the end of the world arrive via thousands, if not millions, of creatures called heartless. To see the only man that could possibly outsmart Sosuke Aizen look like he lost the will to live nearly broke Yoruichi's heart.

"Kisuke…"

"This is just delaying the end Yoruichi," he muttered and even Tessai was looking at the ex-captain with a mixture of shock and resignation.

Unwilling to see her friend in a slump Yoruichi tried to cheer him up, "Come on Kisuke. These heartless things seem to be unable to get through your barrier. It seems pretty safe to me."

"I hate to say this but I have nothing Yoruichi. This isn't just happening to the Human World. Both the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo are under attack by the heartless and even this isn't the worst part. The only way the heartless could have arrived in this big a force is if-"

"-the Soul King either lost his power or is dead."

Yoruichi froze at the cold voice and went to attack only for Kisuke's hand to grab her arm. Growling in anger she reluctantly sat back down but didn't lower her guard. Standing just a couple of feet away from them was Sosuke Aizen and for the first time he looked like he had been in a difficult fight. His normal calm and haughty demeanor was gone, replaced by a serious tone. He walked with a subtle limp in his left leg and the entire left side of his captain's haori was coated in blood from a wound in his shoulder, "Your suspicions of my motives are unfounded Yoruichi Shihoin. For this fight I am completely on your side but Kisuke is right. This is no longer a fight we can win…at least without the proper tools."

Something clicked in Kisuke's mind, "You can't possibly be considering-"

"Yes," Aizen said with complete confidence, "Ichigo Kurosaki possesses the keyblade, possibly the only tool in the world able to kill the heartless with ease. If we can somehow get him to the Royal Palace realm and to the keyhole to the world…"

Urahara's eyes lightened up in realization, "We can close the world off from the heartless."

The smile on Aizen's face slipped slightly, "Yes but we have little time. The heartless are here because the Soul King is dead. During my fight with Senjumaru Shutara I found myself unable to kill or even wound her without the Oken immediately healing her wounds. Eventually I found myself about to lose when she suddenly collapsed. I found myself about to lose when she suddenly collapsed. It appears that to my luck the Oken implanted in her bones was tied to both her life force and the Soul King's. If we are going to stop the heartless we need to act quickly. It is only a matter of time until the heartless find the keyhole. At that point…"

He didn't need to say anymore for Urahara to understand what he was implying. If what he said was true then it was the keyhole, not the Soul King, that was lynchpin of the world. Urahara could see how he could have assumed the Soul King was what kept the world from ending but now that he heard the rest of the story everything started to make sense. It couldn't believe he had been that naïve. With a grim sense of humor and irony, Kisuke realized that the biggest revelation in his life had come as the world was on the brink of destruction. If there really was a god he must enjoy pulling the rug out from under his feet.

"Yoruichi take over for me," he announced and stood up, "Tessai should be able to support the barrier for at least another twenty minutes. That should give Aizen and I enough time to find Ichigo and discuss with him our plan."

"Discuss what with me?"

Ichigo walked out of the Urahara Shop with a pensive look on his face. He had changed out of the standard Karakura High School grey uniform and now wore a pair of black pants with a simple a white shirt and an open blue jacket with a yellow diamond pattern emblazoned across it. The heartless seemed to redouble their efforts to pierce the barrier when they saw Ichigo and both Tessai and Yoruichi winced at the sudden drop of their reiryoku.

"If there is anything I can do to save Karakura Town let me know!"

"Ichigo," Urahara said, "This is not just happening here. The heartless are invading not only the Human World but also the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. I'm sorry to say that everyone you know is most likely dead."

"That's crap!" Ichigo shouted and grabbed Urahara shirt with a fist. The shopkeeper did not resist as the teen continued to yell at him, "Are you saying that I am to just let everyone I know die? Orihime? Chad? Even Uryu? Just forget about them and run with my tail between my legs?"

Urahara looked at the utter desperation on Ichigo's face and sighed, "Ichigo, if you truly wish to save everyone then you must listen to everything we say. It's a long shot but it might just be the only chance we have."

Ichigo grit his teeth, "Of course I'll do it!"

"Very good Ichigo," Aizen said, "I find your ability to willingly sacrifice yourself admirable but we have no time for pleasantries. Kisuke and I require your willing cooperation as well as your keyblade."

"My keyblade?" Ichigo asked and squeezed his hand, causing his silver keyblade to materialize into existence.

"Your keyblade is the only thing that can close the keyhole to the world and cut off the heartless. If we are going to stop the heartless we will need your help to break into the Royal Palace realm and find the keyhole. Are you willing to do what it takes Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ichigo nodded, "I will do anything to save everyone I know. Where do we start?"

* * *

...

* * *

Predawn in the Land of Departure was marked by a tranquil peace and quite as most of the denizens remained in their rooms, fast asleep and resting for the day ahead. The only beings that would dare to be awake before the sun had even risen were the castle caretakers and those unable to sleep. On one of the many mountains surrounding the central castle was a well-worn dirt trail that wound up and around the landscape towards the peak. While normally a lonely and empty place this morning two sets of feet tiredly stomped up the trail, their owners physically exhausted and mentally tired.

The person in the lead raised a hand and brushed his brown hair off his sweaty forehead. Pushing forward he looked up and groaned, "Damn it…I can't go on…any further. Just leave me here…save yourself."

His partner pulled up besides him and tiredly sighed, "Pull yourself…together Terra. It's only been…ten miles. If I can do…it so can…you."

Terra watched incredulously as Aqua, seventeen years old and counting, continued to pull ahead of him up the trail. He couldn't figure out where her stamina was coming from but he wasn't about to be shown up by her. Pushing his exhausted legs as much as he could he managed to close the distance between them and was just about to pass her when a low-powered fire spell singed his back, causing him to yell out, "What the hell?"

"This is not a race Terra!" a stern voice scolded, "If you have the stamina to show up your fellow student then you have the energy to do double training!"

"I'm sorry Master Eraqus!" Terra apologized in between pants. Taking a deep breath twenty years old Terra, student of Eraqus and hopeful hero, pushed on up the trail. Despite his exhaustion and desire to collapse on the ground he knew better then to quit. Eraqus was a notoriously strict teacher and only took on the most gifted and dedicated of students. If he quit now there would be no second chance. As he turned around a bend in the trail he spotted the training ground up ahead and mentally sighed in relief. He just needed to push his body a little more and it would all be over.

Ten minutes later, with the rising sun over the eastern horizon beginning to heat up the air, Terra reached the summit and collapsed onto his hands and knees. As he took in as much air as his lungs would allow his body to have he saw, with more then a little satisfaction, Aqua flat on her back just a few feet away.

"You have both done well to live up to my expectations."

Aqua and Terra watched as their master calmly walked past them into the training ground without a hint of exhaustion. As they made mental notes to find out how he was able to run ten miles uphill and still look fully rested he addressed them, "When I took you as my students you were weak and could not have accomplished even half of what you can do now. You have five minutes to catch your breath before your actual training for the day commences."

As their master walked away to prepare the field for whatever hell he had planned for them Terra looked at his fellow student, "Hey Aqua?"

The blue haired teen turned her head, her hair matted onto her forehead by sweat, "Yeah?"

"You think Master Eraqus will allow us to have our keyblades soon?"

Aqua rolled her eyes, "You know that we don't get a keyblade until he finds us worthy of wielding it."

"I know," he said and rolled onto his back, "But it's been almost two years and he still won't allow us to have a keyblade. I'm beginning to think we might never get one."

"Idiot," Aqua kicked Terra's body with her foot, "Would you trust just anyone with that much power?"

"When you put it like that…"

"Exactly. Now no more talking. I want to rest," Aqua sighed and leaned back onto the ground. When he didn't say anything, like she thought he would, she opened one eye and saw Terra sitting up staring at something in the sky, "What are you looking at?"

Terra didn't move his eyes as he raised an arm, "That star right there."

Aqua's blue eyes followed his arm and could just barely make out what he was pointing at. In the morning sky, barely visible above the rising sun, was a star that constantly twinkled in and out of existence. One moment it would be as bright as its neighbors but the next it would be nearly invisible. It was all rather interesting to her but Master Eraqus would not wait on them any longer, "Stop looking at the stars and get up Terra. Master Eraqus is coming back and you know what he will do if he catches you being lazy again."

True to Aqua's warning a stray shot of magic shot past Terra's ear into the grass. Scrambling to his feet he heard his master shout, "Do you plan to just lay around in a fight Terra?"

"No Master Eraqus!" he quickly blurted out.

The strict master did not stop, "The darkness will not stop and wait for you to regain your energy in the midst of a battle! Just because you are tired does not mean you can stop. The heartless are an ever present danger! What was so interesting that you disregarded my initial words?"

"Well…" Terra rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "There was this twinkling star."

Terra had expected his master to stop him right there and declare how his foolish daydreaming has added onto his training. Aqua would then say 'I told you so' when Master Eraqus had moved out of hearing. He was surprised when his master adopted a cold and nervous expression.

"Show me this star."

It took Terra a moment to find it but when he did he quickly pointed it out to his master, who narrowed his eyes and muttered something to himself under his breath. Terra turned to Aqua, who shrugged, and asked, "What's wrong with Master Eraqus?"

Aqua opened her mouth to answer but it was their master that spoke, "It is something that has not occurred in generations. For as long as there has been a steward for the Land of Departure no world has fallen into the darkness. I had hoped to explain this to you when you both were more mentally mature but I see that I have run out of time."

Eraqus seemed to hold a weight on his shoulders as he turned away from his students, "You both already know that the heartless seek the hearts of others but do you know what happens if they stumble upon the keyhole of a world?"

Terra and Aqua were silent before Aqua hesitantly answered, "They devour it?"

Eraqus's face was grim, "It is not a quick process. Depending on the size of the world and the number of heartless the process can take up to a week. That is usually enough time for a keyblade master to travel to the world and stop the heartless by sealing the keyhole with their keyblade. I am impressed that you were even able to see it Terra."

"You are?" the teen asked.

"Yes. A keyblade wielder cannot usually sense when a world is in danger from being devoured by the darkness but there are those that have the ability to do so. Besides you I know of one other that can do so, an old friend of mine…"

The master's seemed to be upset about something but quickly steeled his emotions. With a quick flick of his hand, the Master Keeper keyblade appeared in his grip and with but a thought it transformed into its glider form. As he stepped onto the glider Eraqus turned to his apprentices, "I need to go try to save this world. While I may be too late it would be a crime to do nothing. Aqua you are in charge of training until I return."

The two apprentices took a step back as their master hovered off the ground on his glider before shooting off into the Lanes Between the worlds on a trail of light. They might not have trained under Eraqus for that long but they could tell something was wrong with the keyblade master.


	5. Chapter 5: Collapse of a Dream

_Here is chapter 5 of __**Key through the Soul**__ and the final chapter that takes place in the Bleach universe. __I apologize for the lateness of the chapter, as my mind has been preoccupied with other story ideas. Well anyway I am back on track now and I hope the wait has been worth it for all my readers. __I am proud (and slightly regretful) that I am having the world go out like this but I feel it is much more realistically done than what Disney/Square did with the Destiny Islands and other worlds. I always found it strange that those who escaped from their destroyed worlds didn't have any PTSD or other disorders. One would think that the destruction of everything and everyone they loved would be more devastating (this was before they knew the keyblade could bring the worlds back). __So I'm still debating on which world for Ichigo to make a visit to first. As a result of the 'M' rating they will most likely not be the Disney versions from the game. There might be elements from the worlds and characters will make appearances but this is supposed to be grittier. If you ignore Sora, Riku and Kairi most keyblade wielders were in their upper teens or adults. _

_FlawlessCowoby2552 – Thank you. I have several ideas on where to go with this story so stay updated!_

_Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – Thanks. I do my best._

_Luckenhaft – I wanted Ichigo to have as little experience as possible as a shinigami while at the same time have his horizons broadened by his experiences as a substitute shinigami. The point between Rukia's capture and her rescue was the perfect time._

_The Zogg – I wasn't really intending to have the gloating. I always assumed the bleach characters could tell if they had the time to talk and if they did, how much danger they would be in. Byakuya is an example of a shinigami who talks only when he knows he isn't in any danger. As for Ichigo having a 'Donald' and 'Goofy' that will be hard. Both of them only showed up in Kingdom Hearts because King Mickey asked them to search for the keyblade and stick around the wielder. Before Birth by Sleep there were (I'm guessing) at least ten wielders of the keyblade and so they will not be needed but take what I say with a grain of salt. My story can change if I get new ideas. Thanks for the informative review!_

_Ultima-owner – I thought Terra got the short end of the stick in Birth by Sleep. Giving him an ability all his own will help to flesh out his character into something more then Square/Disney portrayed him as. In BBS he only turned to the darkness in desperation to help those he knew, not because he willingly wanted to. Who knows what a unique power of his own will do to his self-esteem?_

_Uber Prinny Lord – I think this chapter explains everything you asked in your review. Although I am loath to say anything, the Vandenreich will have very few, if any, appearances in this story. Their abilities, as I explained in the previous chapters (and hinted) are based on the manipulation of spiritual particles. Since the heartless are immune (to a large extent) to such attacks they will be slaughtered to the last man and woman. Sorry for the letdown. _

_Raging Berserker – Giving Ichigo a magic theme would be highly restrictive. I will need to think on this._

_A Simple fool – Thank you_

_Bigby the Big Bad Wolf – Don't worry. Ichigo won't be god-like if I can help it. And the Bleach characters weren't downgraded. They simply came across an enemy where all kido and non-physical attacks do little damage. Adapting to having just zanjustu being effective would be hard to do (except for the Eleventh Division for obvious reasons). And even if they were able to fight back the heartless successfully in the last chapter what you read in this chapter will make all that moot. Thanks for the review!_

* * *

...

* * *

Kisuke Urahara subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck as he admired his work. Over the last half hour bits and pieces of Karakura Town had disappeared into the approaching darkness and the number and strength of the heartless continued to increase. At the current rate the barrier keeping them out of his shop wouldn't last much longer no matter how much spiritual energy they channeled into the kido. Something was happening to the Human world, and probably the Soul Society as well, and it was impacting their ability to use spiritual abilities. It wasn't exactly noticeable at the moment but that would soon change if it continued to exponentially fall.

He looked over the impromptu senkaimon for any last-minutes flaws. Not finding any, as this was one of his inventions after all, he clapped his hands together proudly, "Well everything is set on my end. It's all on you."

Sosuke Aizen smirked as he reached into a pocket and pulled out the hogyoku. Even with his moderate injuries sustained from fighting Senjumaru over Karakura town he wasn't showing any sign of pain. In fact he seemed almost happy to be hurt. As he stared at the dark purple orb quietly resting in the palm of his hand he quipped as his glasses reflected the ambient light, "For over a century you did everything you could to keep this from falling into my hands and now you willingly gave it to me. The irony is palpable but I am curious about one thing. I was certain that you had hidden the hogyoku within Rukia Kuchiki's soul. How did you manage to extract it?"

"Well now, that's a very good question," Kisuke tipped the brim of his hat down. It appeared he still had a few tricks up his sleeves that Aizen didn't know about, "Did you really think I couldn't retrieve the hogyoku from across dimensions if I really wanted to?"

"I knew you had the ability to do so," Aizen responded, "But what I did not expect was your callous disregard for Rukia Kuchiki's life. You must be aware that the survival rate of cross-dimensional extraction from a soul using your process is less then 20%."

Kisuke chuckled, "I'm not surprised you know about that method but then again, look who I'm talking to. I would like to inform you that the survival process for the extraction is right about 50%. I'm happy to inform you that Rukia Kuchiki survived the extraction process alive and well."

"At least for now Kisuke. Whatever the case may be, the hogyoku has the power to grant us our desire to reach the Royal Realm. Unfortunately we must stay here to stabilize the senkaimon."

"That is your job Ichigo," Kisuke tipped his hat to the teen standing behind him. Ichigo looked at him with a grim expression but focused his attention on trying to calm down Yuzu, who was in tears and had her arms wrapped around his waist. Karin wasn't faring much better and was facing away from her siblings with her fists clenched tightly enough to draw blood. It didn't take a genius like Kisuke to realize that Karin was doing her best to not cry and it wasn't working. Despite wanting to give the three siblings more time Kisuke couldn't afford to do so. With a heavy heart he slowly walked over to Ichigo.

"The senkaimon is ready Ichigo."

"He needs to go?" Yuzu cried out and tightened her grip while burying her face in her brother's side.

"Yuzu…" Ichigo muttered and reached down and attempted to gently pry her arms off of him. Seeing what he was trying to do Yuzu tightened her grip even more and shook her head violently.

"No! I won't let you go!"

Before Ichigo could say anything at all a familiar voice said, "Let your brother go Yuzu."

Isshin Kurosaki, heavily injured but conscience, sat on the ground with his back to the wall. It was apparent that the former captain was using all of his willpower just to remain awake, "This is something he needs to do Yuzu. Don't let your feelings get in the way of what he has to do. He's a man now."

"Dad…"

It seemed as if the sound of her father's voice was all the incentive Yuzu needed. She immediately let go of Ichigo and threw herself at her father. To his credit Isshin took the flying impact from his daughter with barely a grimace. Holding in what had to be intense pain he looked Ichigo squire in the eyes, "Do what you need to do. Do matter what you do know that I'm proud of you. Masaki would be very proud of the man you turned out to be."

Without responding Ichigo just stood there staring at his family. His father had drawn Yuzu and Karin into an embrace and Ichigo couldn't remember the last time his family had been normal like this. He must have drawn Kisuke attention because the shopkeeper clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Are you sure this is what you want to do? If you fail you won't be able to see your family again. This might be the last time you can talk to them."

Ichigo clenched his fists and turned around, "Just tell me what I need to do."

Urahara sighed, "I'm afraid that is where the trouble is."

"The overall plan is quite simple Ichigo," Aizen explained from where he was standing, "Kisuke and I are going to use the hogyoku to forcibly connect a senkaimon to the Royal Realm. Once there you will need to make your way to the Royal Palace and use your keyblade to lock the keyhole. If you are successful the heartless should stop attacking the world."

"What about my keyblade?" Ichigo asked as said weapon materialized in his hand.

"I don't doubt that your keyblade could easily open a gateway to the Royal Realm but unless you have the time and patience to learn everything you need to know about it we must use our plan," Kisuke explained and nodded to Aizen. The captain held the hogyoku in his hand and began pouring his spiritual energy into the device as black tendrils emerged from it and stabbed into his fingers.

"If anything good came from the heartless invading our world, it is that the barrier separating the Royal Realm from the Soul Society, which could only be accessed by the Oken, has weakened. We are taking advantage of this to have my senkaimon connect directly to that realm. I'm not going to sugarcoat this Ichigo; you might not make it back alive, if at all. The Zero Division is made entirely of captains, each of whom is stronger then most captains in the Gotei 13. Getting to the keyhole of the world is most likely suicidal. If I could come I would but-"

"That is why I will be accompanying him."

Yoruichi Shihoin hopped down from a higher ledge and landed next to Kisuke with barely a sound. In the few minutes since they had seen her she had forgone her usual outfit consisting of an orange shirt over a black undershirt and black pants and instead wore a modified version of her former captains haori and Onmitsukidō uniform. Unlike during her captaincy 110 years ago Yoruichi had cut off the haori's sleeves at the shoulder to give her the extra maneuverability but mostly because she hated having to buy a new haori whenever she used shunko. The captain-commander tended to get…angry when she requisitioned ten haoris at a time. With a cocky smile she turned and smirked at her old friend, "If you intend to send Ichigo on a suicide mission then I should back him up Kisuke."

"Why are you down here?" Kisuke asked his friend stunned, "You should be maintaining the kido barrier."

The previous captain of the stealth forces huffed and strutted forward until she was standing right in front of Kisuke. Before he could wonder what she was doing Yoruichi kneed him in the stomach, causing him to wheeze and fall to his knees, "Idiot! Do you think I'm stupid enough to just leave the barrier like that? Ryuken arrived a few minutes ago and offered to lend his assistance."

"Yoruichi that hurt…" Kisuke lamented that his childhood friend liked to show her affection with physical injuries. He had told her countless times that he was just not into that sort of thing but she never listened. He was about to go on another tirade involving whining and moaning when Yoruichi leaned down and whispered something into his ear.

"_Ryuken came with his son's battered body held in his arms. The news for the rest of Ichigo's friends isn't any better. Chad is dead and I was unable to find Tatsuki or Orihime before the heartless began closing in on me."_

He grimly lowered his eyes and mumbled back, "We cannot let Ichigo know. At least for now."

Kisuke stood up with a grunt and turned to Aizen, "Let's begin."

The spectacled captained raised his hand and pressed the hogyoku against the edge of the senkaimon. Upon making contact the entire structure seemed to vibrate as purple and pink cracks began to spread out from the point of contact until the senkaimon appeared to be glowing. A moment later the empty space between the columns began to spark and crackle and in a burst of thunder a portal appeared. What had been the back of Kisuke's secret training grounds was now a surreal and abstract world full of floating structures superimposed on a dark and stormy sky.

Aizen looked at the image of the Royal Realm through the senkaimon, "It seems that the heartless invasion has progressed faster than I expected. We have little time to waste Kisuke."

"Are you sure you can't come?" Ichigo asked, the desperation in his voice showing just how bad he really felt, "You seem to know a lot about this Royal Realm."

"Even with the millennia old protections and barriers around the Royal Realm weakened to their current state there is no way for Kisuke or myself to enter. I am not ashamed to admit that the Soul King is intimately familiar with both of our spiritual pressure and has designed specific countermeasures to destroy us if we were to even step foot in his realm, invited or otherwise. Even if we could do so without the keyblade you now wield there would be nothing we could do. This is where we part ways Ichigo Kurosaki. For a human being, you were quite interesting to watch."

Ichigo was about to ask him what he meant by that when Yoruichi slapped him on his back, "What are you just standing around for? We need to get a move on if we're going to save the world and all that."

Recovering quickly and sending her a half-hearted glare, Ichigo stopped before stepping through the senkaimon. Eyes narrowing and body tensing he said, "Hey Kisuke."

"Hm? What is it Ichigo?"

"Promise me one thing," the words were becoming harder for Ichigo to say, "If I fail or don't make it back in time protect my family."

"Don't worry about them," Kisuke smiled but it never reached his eyes, "As long as I have the power to do so, no harm will come to them. I promise."

Ichigo seemed to believe him and leapt through the senkaimon wth his keyblade held in front of him. Yoruichi was right behind him but lingered a moment when she recognized the dark look on her old friend's face. Aizen watched them leave and as soon as they vanished turned to Kisuke, "That was a cruel and heartless thing you did Kisuke."

Kisuke didn't respond as he stared at the image of the Royal Realm. He never thought he would be seeing that place again, even through a senkaimon, and it brought back too many memories, "Telling Ichigo that you would protect his siblings when you know that the barrier protecting us all will falter within ten minutes no matter how much spiritual energy we charge it with. Here I thought a master manipulator."

"I did no such thing Aizen. I promised Ichigo I would protect them for as long as I could," Kisuke calmly replied, "If that happens to be for only ten minutes then that's all there is to it. There was no need to weigh Ichigo's mind down with unnecessary information such as that."

"Hmph," Aizen began chuckling at the irony of what Kisuke had just said, "Even now, with the world ending around us, you see fit to have those around you dance to your tune. Now you see why I thought you to be my intellectual superior. Why cow the populous through fear when you can have them literally eating your every word?"

Kisuke was silent as a series of bangs and crashes reverberated from the shop above. As the lights in his underground training room began dimming and a cold breeze blew through he look at Aizen, "That is why you and I are so different Aizen. You are unable to see that what I did was for the betterment of others, not just myself. I could have easily have gone with Ichigo despite the seals the Soul King put around his realm but that wouldn't have guaranteed safe passage."

"Think what you want Kisuke," Aizen said and turned away from the senkaimon. With Ichigo and Yoruichi already in the Royal Realm his work here was done and there was nothing more he could do. Kisuke watched one of the worst criminals in the history of the Soul Society walk away with but a grimace on his face. Despite all the evidence to the contrary Aizen did outsmart him on one thing – the Soul King. Where he had failed to find out what the Soul King's purpose was Aizen had easily uncovered and became hell-bent on fixing, by any means necessary.

"It's quite a shame," he mumbled to himself as the darkness began to close in on him. Drawing his zankaputo from its' scabbard he turned and pointed it at the approaching heartless, "I did want to visit the Royal Realm again but now that you heartless decided to invade that will never happen. How do you think you can make up for that?"

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 5: Collapse of the Dream**

Ichigo and Yoruichi exited the senkaimon nearly fifty feet above the ground. As they freefell Ichigo quickly realized just how bad the situation had to be. He could see, as well as sense for a mysterious reason, multiple pureblood heartless roaming around and between the shadows of the shattered realm, picking off and devouring the hearts of the souls that had been honored enough to be chosen to live alongside the Soul King. The once placid and beautiful blue sky had been replaced by a turbulent and vulgar squall that cast unnatural shadows through the realm. In the background the sounds of battle and screaming could be heard. It seemed that not everyone was willing to just give up.

Yoruichi touched down on the platform and almost immediately shivered. She didn't know why but something about this place was causing her soul to shiver. A loud crackling echoed through the realm as the clouds of shifting darkness let loose with a downpour of rain.

"We'll need to head to the palace," she said over the sound of the storm.

They ran across the platform, their shoes kicking up streams of black water as they drew closer to the grandiose palace. If the rain wasn't unnatural enough, the fact that it didn't appear to actually be water was disconcerting and a cause for them to pick up their pace. Throughout this entire time Ichigo had felt a vague tingling in the back of his mind of something massive approaching him but despite all attempts to figure out what it was he just couldn't piece together what was coming.

Seeing that he had a few minutes before they would reach the palace and not knowing when he would get another chance Ichigo asked, "Hey Yoruichi?"

Without slowing down or looking back she responded, "What is it?"

"How does Kisuke know so much about the Royal Realm and the Soul King?"

"He never actually told me the full story," she said and trailed off, the only sound coming from the rain falling around them, "One day he just disappeared from his room without a sign of a struggle. I looked throughout the Seireitei for nearly a week before he just suddenly reappeared in his room safe and sound. You know what the first thing he said when I asked him what happened? He said he had a great idea for an invention that would revolution the Gotei 13 and shinigami as well. That invention turned out to be the hogyoku, something that should never had been created. I suppose the same thing happened to Aizen at some point. Is something bothering you?"

"It's just that I have no idea how I am supposed to fix anything. All I have is this keyblade and yet no one knows how it works."

"That is a problem," she conceded. "But you must have been chosen for a reason. If the keyblade is really as special as Aizen said it was then you must already have a way of saving the world even if you don't know how to do it until the time comes. Pick up the pace Ichigo, I can sense several dozen heartless sneaking up on us."

Ichigo looked at her with disbelief and Yoruichi gave him a cheshire-like grin in return, "What's with that stupid look?"

"Um…"

To Ichigo's confusion she reared her head back and laughed, "Do you think as the former captain of the Second Division as well as the Onmitsukidō that I couldn't sense people sneaking up on me? Compared to members of my division these heartless are rank amateurs!"

"Still…" Ichigo was hesitant to say what he needed to say, "Heartless aren't like shinigami. They won't care if you cut one of them down. They'll just use it as a distraction to attack you and go after your heart."

"What do you mean by heart?" Yoruichi asked. She had heard the term being used a lot the last hour but was confused by what it meant, "Do the heartless tear out the hearts of those they kill?"

"It's…they…I can't really explain something I don't know myself," he said exasperated.

They passed the remaining few minutes in silence and soon reached the steps leading up to the Soul King's palace. Without slowing down they ran up the stairs, taking several steps at a time, while keeping their eyes peeled for any surprise attacks. It was common sense that the closer they got to their destination the heavily the resistance would get.

"Crap," Yoruichi cursed as the prediction came true. At the very top of the stairs and in front of the outer doors to the palace were dozens of heartless of all shapes and sizes. A quick glance to their rear showed hundreds of heartless racing up the stairs towards them. If they didn't do something quickly they would be dead..

"I didn't know the heartless were so smart," she admitted.

"They're not," Ichigo growled and with a single clenching of his hand his keyblade materialized.

At the sight of the fabled weapon every single pair of yellow eyes focused on Ichigo and let loose a collective screech that had Yoruichi covering her ears and the keyblade wielder gritting his teeth. Before their eyes a thick miasma of darkness began to envelope the platform they had arrived on as well as various other structures in the dimension.

Ichigo took one look and shouted, "We need to go!"

Utilizing her mastery of shunpo, Yoruichi disappeared and quickly reappeared hovering in the air over the heartless in front of the palace. Clenching a fist as her entire right arm was enveloped in the crackling spiritual energy of shunko she shouted and propelled herself to the ground. To her surprise one of the Invisibles used their greatsword to parry her attack. Undeterred she doubled the force of her shunko's spiritual pressure, causing the weapon to crack in two and destroy the Invisible beneath her while pushing all the heartless surrounding her into the air and away from the palace.

"That takes care of them," she mumbled with more energy then she actually had. As if the day wasn't bad enough, that single use of shunpo and shunko had drained the majority of her spiritual energy. It felt as if she was running on fumes when she was sure she could have done that same combination a few days ago and not feel tired at all. As she caught her breath her enhanced senses picked up the subtle movement of the air behind her. Ducking underneath the tendril of darkness that had attempted to immobilize her she responded with a shunko-empowered kick to heartless, throwing it backwards and into several of its companions.

Wiping the rain out of her eyes she glanced between the various heartless in front of her, "Guess I spoke too soon."

If someone told Ichigo that he would someday have a running battle against a literal army of darkness he would have mockingly nodded his head and made sure to get as far away from that person as possible.

"Damn it," he shouted. Pivoting on his left foot he leaned to the side just as a clawed hand appeared from a puddle of darkness and attempted to grab him. Not wasting time he quickly used his keyblade and cut off the arm, allowing it to disintegrate into the nothingness by which it was formed.

Taking a deep breath and shaking the rain of out his orange hair Ichigo ran up the stairs two steps at a time. He realized quite quickly that the heartless weren't actually trying to kill him but stall him. They must have known that his keyblade was the only thing able to stop them from devouring the world and were doing everything possible to stop him. That meant there was still time to save the world, Karakura Town, and his family.

He weaved and danced his way up the stairs, dodging around the small heartless forming directly from the shadows around him and attacking the ones foolish enough to try and get in his way. It was amazing just how effective the keyblade was in dispatching heartless. All he needed was one solid hit on them and they would dissipate in a wisp of black smoke. Jumping over a small heartless that stupidly attempted to claw at his leg, Ichigo's eyes noted ripples in the puddles on the steps above him. He carefully noted that the rippling was coming closer and closer, almost as if something unseen was running down the stairs towards him.

Instinctively Ichigo struck out with his keyblade and quickly blocked the sword from the Invisible that had foolishly tried to attack him. As he locked blades the heartless decided to show itself, appearing out of thin air from the head down.

"I've had enough of this!"

Easily riposting the blade Ichigo swung out with his keyblade, knocking the heartless into the air. Not finished he leapt up after it and once he was directly above its rising body swung down his keyblade with both hands, causing the heartless to rocket down and into the horde of heartless racing up towards him.

Once he landed back on the ground Ichigo kicked his body into high gear and sprinted up the steps, the horde of darkness not more then ten steps behind him.

"Get down Ichigo!"

His eyes widening, Ichigo slid to his knees as Yoruichi's shunko-covered fist shot through the air right above his face. The sheer amount of power in her attack was enough to make him sweat even though it wasn't aimed at him. As soon as the rest of Yoruichi's body passed over him Ichigo quickly stood back up and sprinted up the stairs. He knew what was going to happen and he didn't want to be anywhere near Yoruichi when she decided to let loose.

Yoruichi spun around once in the air to build up her momentum and slammed her fist into the stairs while shouting, "Meteo Sutoraiku!"

The amount of power in the attack was so great that the material the stairs were carved out of, that had lasted for nearly three thousand years without eroding from the elements, was dented and cracked before Yoruichi had even touched it. As soon as she made contact there was an explosion of power with cascading arcs of lightning with the same color as her shunko rippling outwards and down the stairs, destroying both the heartless and the structure as it did so.

While the smoke from her attack cleared Yoruichi braced for a counterattack. When she saw no sign of one she let out a sigh and examined the damage she had inflicted. The entire staircase for nearly fifty feet had been completely vaporized along with whatever had been on it at the time. Just on the other side of the gap she could see hundreds, perhaps thousands, of heartless standing and looking through her.

"Come on Yoruichi!"

Without a second thought she vanished in a burst of shunpo and reappeared next to Ichigo in front of the ornate doors. While they may have managed to survive just reaching the palace they had little to no idea of what waited inside. Yoruichi put one hand on the door and attempted to send out a pull of spiritual pressure as a makeshift form of echolocation. The presence of the heartless had somehow thrown off her ability to detect spiritual pressure the normal way. She may not sense anyone inside but she was taking something like that with a grain of salt, "Are you ready Ichigo? Who knows what we'll find in there."

"Yeah," he strode to her side and rested his keyblade on his shoulder, "Let's end this."

* * *

...

* * *

Above what had once been Karakura Town a glowing white line appeared in the darkness-eclipsed sky. A moment later it expanded into a portal, allowing Master Eraqus to arrive over the city accompanied by a trail of light. He flew over the city on his keyblade glider, automatically slowing down to avoid the twisters and lightning that were both signs of the collapse of the world.

"I'm too late," Eraqus slammed a fist on his glider in anger. The heartless already had a firm grasp on this world and he didn't believe anything he could do would save it. It was likely the creatures of darkness had already reached the keyhole and begun devouring the heart of the world.

Eraqus looked around the collapsing world with sadness. He may be a keyblade master with nearly thirty years of experience but nothing quite prepared him for what was happening to this world. He had considered himself lucky that no world had fallen to the darkness in his lifetime. The number of keyblade wielders across the Realm of Light saw that any heartless incursions were quickly and effectively dealt with in a timely manner. The fact that this world had been hidden for so long made such a response impossible and gave the heartless a foothold that he didn't think closing the heart to the world would fix.

"This is worse than I thought," he mumbled as he drew his keyblade glider to a stop and looked around. The darkness had almost completely devoured the world, the destroyed skyscrapers in the center of Karakura Town being the only remaining signs that it had once been inhabited. Gazing at the streams of darkness flowing across the ground he was nearly blindsided when a dragon-like heartless attempted to attack him.

With but a grunt a bolt of lightning shot out of his keyblade and destroyed the heartless within the blink of an eye. He couldn't afford to deal with the small heartless. As his eyes gazed over Karakura Town a very familiar pulse of power washed over him.

"A keyblade wielder? Here?" Eraqus focused his senses on the location of the power source but soon realized that it was coming from a different dimension in the world. If he followed the source of power back to the keyblade wielder he might just find out what is going on and how the heartless became such a threat under his watch.

He flew across the darkened sky and raised his keyblade up before twisting it. A thin beam of white light shot out the end into the air in front of him, where it traveled before stopping in midair. Amidst the sound of glass shattering a gateway to the realm he sensed the keyblade wielder opened. Without a second thought Eraqus mentally commanded his glider to travel through the portal as fast as possible. There was no time to waste and he needed answers.

* * *

...

* * *

For a place that was supposed to be where the ruler of all three realms lived it was surprising empty. Ichigo had thought that someone called the Soul King would have expensive and priceless works of art adorning his rooms with one of a kind paintings hanging from the walls but apart from the white marble floors and columns there was nothing. Even the walls were bare plaster.

Yoruichi had decided to take the lead as they made their way through the palace. She was the one that had the most combat experience and with everything they had gone through just to reach the palace they couldn't afford any surprises. As they ran down the winding corridors in search of their target they could see signs of battle everywhere. Walls were demolished, weapons lay shattered and broken every few feet, and the opulent chandeliers remained dark.

"Where is everyone?" she asked herself out loud in an attempt to figure out an answer, "They couldn't have just fled. Ichigo?"

Said keyblade wielder looked briefly to the side before answering, "I'm not sure. All I know are bits and pieces from my strange dreams. The heartless…they don't kill you…not really."

An eyebrow arched, "Then what do the do?"

"Think of hollows," he responded seriously. Yoruichi's golden eyes widened as he continued speaking, "Heartless are the same thing as hollows but about a hundred times worse."

"Damn," she didn't expect that answer. Of course Kisuke had given her the bare background on the heartless after she had tried to kill Aizen but he failed to mention just what they were. If even Ichigo was stressed about fighting them, even with his keyblade, then she couldn't afford to underestimate them. She already knew that her shunko wasn't as effective on them as it should be. When that one heartless blocked her shunko-enhanced fist she knew that was proof enough to not hold back. Just because her attacks might be as strong as a normal punch to a heartless doesn't mean she can't think outside the box. A shunko strike to the ground will still send them flying.

"Do you know where this throne room is Yoruichi?"

"Don't worry Ichigo," she purred and smiled, "I have my ways."

Her way involved followed the faint trail of silver blood droplets on the ground. Ichigo didn't need to know that fact though.

Following the trail of evidence led them to the double doors that opened to the Soul King's throne. It looked like the heartless had done a number on them in an attempt to breach the inner sanctum. One of the doors looked like it had been both blasted by an intense flame while frost and ice coated several patches. The other was hanging limply on its hinges and looked as if a stiff breeze could make it fall over. Gathering up his courage, Ichigo took a deep breath and stepped forward only to have his way blocked by Yoruichi's arm.

"Hold on just a second," she warned and glared at the space between the doors that allowed her to seem inside the throne room, "Something's not right here. Where are the heartless? Can you sense them?"

"Do I look like a bloodhound?"

"I thought you could tell when they were close?"

"Only when I'm fighting them," he answered and pushed by her. He didn't have time to waste being cautious. They could have but minutes until the world was devoured by the darkness, minutes that could be spent saving it.

She spared Ichigo a single glance and then pushed the doors open with too much ease. As their footsteps echoed in the hallowed chamber Yoruichi noted that the signs of battle they had seen throughout the palace seemed to have stopped in this room. The once immaculate and grandiose chamber fit for the ruler of the three realms had been nearly completely destroyed but it was clear that the Soul King had put up a remarkable defense even if it hadn't been enough.

"Who is that?"

Yoruichi followed Ichigo's eyes and saw a prone figure lying against a far wall, rivers of silver blood slowly streaming down his body onto the floor, "I can't believe it. It's…it's the Soul King Ichigo."

"**Ichigo Kurosaki?"** the Soul King coughed and scattered ropes of silvery blood across the marble floor, **"Have you come…to finish me off…keyblade bearer? Destroy everything that…I worked to protect?"**

Ichigo stared at the once god-like being with a mix of pity and remorse and shook his head, "I just want to stop the heartless."

"**Stop…them?"** the Soul King seemed at a loss for words and stared into Ichigo's eyes with his own strangely-patterned pair, **"Yes…I see now. You are not…him. You are here…to help. I was…wrong."**

"Him?" Yoruichi asked, her years as a captain causing her to pick up the key word, "Who did this to you?"

The Soul King ignored her or didn't hear her in his grave state. With what remained of his power he pointed a finger towards his throne. As if responding to an unseen signal the throne dissolved into dust, exposing a set of stairs that led to a chamber that had been hidden for thousands of years, **"What you seek…is beneath my throne. I have…opened the way. Please…stop the living darkness. Stop…the…heartless…"**

Ichigo watched as the Soul King, the very being that had given the order for his family to die, stopped breathing. While he watched as the being that once held the three dimensions together disappear in a cascade of glittering silver and gold like dust in the wind he didn't fail to notice Yoruichi cup her hands together horizontally and bow in reverence. When she saw his eyes watching her she waited until she was finished to explain.

"It's an archaic tradition that has fallen out of favor amongst most of the Soul Society in the last few centuries apart from the noble clans."

He shook his head, "This is the same being that sentenced my family to death just on a hunch."

Yoruichi looked at where the Soul King had died, her amber eyes expressing her sorrow, "We pray to the Soul King to protect us from hollows and give us the strength to protect our families. I felt it was appropriate to give him a send off worthy of his station."

He looked at her sadly, "Do you think that worked?"

"I'm not sure," she said before noticing Ichigo wasn't paying attention to her anymore, "I like to think that despite what the Soul King did, in trying to kill you he was doing it to protect the entire dimension. I don't think it was personal if his last words were anything to go by. If I were in his position I don't think I would have done anything differently. Now go do what you need to do Ichigo"

"What about you?"

She scoffed and faced the entrance to the throne room. Absentmindedly rubbing her wrist she said, "It's not like I can do anything to help you save the world since I don't have a keyblade. No, this is all you. I'll stay up here and keep the heartless from interrupting. I have a lot of frustration to work off."

Ichigo lowered his head before taking a deep breath and racing down the spiraling staircase. As he continued to head deeper beneath the throne room he began to notice wisps of darkness permeating the air, which left his feeling a mixture of anxiousness and nervousness.

"_How am I supposed to even close this keyhole to the world anyway?"_ he thought as the marble floor and walls gave way to damp stone and rock. He must be need the bottom of the floating island the palace was on by now, _"It can't be as simple as locking a door, can it?"_

He soon reached the bottom of the spiraling staircase. His breath hitched when he entered the small room and saw it. Everything he could have been prepared for, every idea his imagination came up with, couldn't have prepared him for the simplicity of what he saw.

The keyhole to the world was a stylized keyhole found in older buildings, which made him wonder whether the idea of a lock came from the keyblade or vice versa. What it looked like was not the point when he could literally feel the power seeping out of the keyhole. The outer design of the keyhole shone with a brilliant white light but he could see and feel the darkness drifting in and out of it. So close and yet unable to figure out what to do he looked at his keyblade and gave it a suspicious look over.

"Now would be the time to work your magic or something."

The keyblade remained silent in his hands, "What am I doing? Of course a weapon doesn't speak. What was I expecting to happen?"

Without a plan and going with what his gut was saying he walked towards the keyhole and raised his keyblade. If this worked like any other key then all he needed to do was slide it into the keyhole and everything would be fixed. It couldn't be that easy, could it?

"Here goes nothing."

When his keyblade was only a few inches away from the keyhole there was an eruption of darkness to his right. He twisted to see what was coming when a black claw gripped his wrist. Despite the burning sensation from the contact Ichigo glared into the yellow eyes of the heartless standing barely a foot away from him. Unlike the other heartless, this one seemed to be more advanced and human. It was about his size and was completely black with the semblance of a cloak around its body and a familiar heart-shaped hole in its chest.

Ichigo tried to pull away from the heartless but found its strength to be greater then any heartless he had faced yet, "Let go."

Its yellow eyes continued to bore into his soul and Ichigo grit his teeth. He could swear it was viewing his struggles with amusement, "I said LET GO!"

With as much strength as he could muster he pulled his wrist out of the heartless's grasp. Spinning around on one foot he swung his keyblade at the heartless while it tried to claw his throat out.

* * *

...

* * *

Master Eraqus was a very smart man and, although his detractors and opponents might suggest he has an unhealthy aversion to darkness, he was anything but irrational. Long before he became steward of the Land of Departure he had broken his master's one rule against traveling to the Realm of Darkness and left with his old friend Xehanort.

His friend had bugged him for months about going to the Realm of Darkness and told him that it wasn't as black and white as their master preached it was. Of course their master had overheard this and punished Xehanort for his slander but Eraqus's interest had been peaked and so he had decided to placate his old friend and travel with him. On their very first world, after evading untold numbers of heartless and almost dying, they found a darker and bleaker shadow of one of the worlds he had visited in the Realm of Light where beings used the power of darkness for everything. Xehanort had tried to explain that those living in the Realm of Darkness were effectively immune to the corruptive power but Eraqus had seen enough.

Looking back though Xehanort may have had a point, Eraqus thought with mild disdain. They had stayed on that world for nearly a week and he didn't see a single being that used the power of darkness succumb to the power and become a heartless. However just because they could use the power of darkness freely did not mean he, or anyone from the Realm of Light, was on the same footing. If anything they were more susceptible. He needed his students to realize that while giving yourself over to the power of darkness may increase your strength, as beings of the Realm of Light they were unable to withstand the corruptive side effects. If he had a student from the Realm of Darkness, that would be a different case.

His arrival in this inner world was heralded by the turmoil associated with the stronger heartless. As he flew towards the most likely place for the keyhole he could see behemoths and dragons rampaging around. He had never seen this many heartless in one place and it was giving him a bad feeling for the future. As he approached the palace he slowed his glider to a stop and frowned. He could sense a being of darkness very close to the keyhole but to his surprise they were fighting against the heartless attempting to reach it. He was conflicted momentarily on what to do before he duty to the worlds overrode any personal beliefs he possessed.

Master Eraqus was a very intelligent man and that is why he did not look at the woman in front of him, a user of darkness, with hatred nor suspicion but gratitude.

"I thank you for the assistance in keeping the keyhole free from the heartless. It is not often that one such as myself comes across a being that can fight off the heartless without a keyblade," he bowed slightly, as was customary in the Realm of Departure.

Yoruichi looked at the man, a wielder of the keyblade if the unique weapon in his right hand was any indication, and said, "It wasn't a problem. These heartless were nothing I couldn't handle."

"Quite true," Eraqus truthfully said. The woman was amiable enough and that was something he didn't have a problem with, "Are you, by chance, the keyblade wielder I was detecting?"

She shook her head, "Nah, that's not me."

Eraqus's eyes adopted a pensive look, "That's quite strange. I was certain there was a keyblade wielder coming from this very room when I arrived. Perhaps all this darkness is throwing off my senses…"

Yoruichi's eyes lit up as she recalled what the Soul King had said with his dying breath, "You said you arrived to this world recently?"

"About ten minutes ago. Why?"

"Because…" she trailed off, her amber eyes temporarily focusing on the spot against the wall where the Soul King's body had been, "The Soul King, the leader of our realm so to speak, looked at Ichigo before he died and confused him with someone else. He claimed it was another keyblade wielder that caused all this."

"Are you certain you heard correctly?" Eraqus found the implication concerning. If a keyblade wielder with sufficient power, wanted to, they could wreak havoc on the worlds in the Realm of Light. The problem was every wielder was accounted for. It was Xehanort himself who created the spell that searched for those with the heart and will to wield a keyblade and they hadn't detected anyone like that for months. That could only mean this keyblade wielder did not come from the Realm of Light, but from the one of Darkness. But the question was why they were so interested in the world and how they managed to keep a low profile until now.

"I heard you mention someone named Ichigo. Who is he?"

Yoruichi looked in the direction Ichigo had ran off to, "Ichigo is…one of a kind. He does have a keyblade but he is fairly new to all this nonsense."

"What was the name of his master?"

"Master?" Yoruichi thought hard to try and remember someone she may have missed while observing the boy in her cat form. She was going to miss Yuzu leaving out a bowl of milk whenever she stopped by. Isshin did not skimp out when buying the good brands, "Ichigo didn't have a master. He obtained the keyblade all on his own."

"Incredible," Eraqus couldn't remember the last keyblade wielder to obtain the fabled weapon without first meeting a master. If this Ichigo had done so, and survived an invasion from the heartless, then he must have a strong heart and will, "Where is this Ichigo right now?"

Almost reluctantly, Yoruichi pointed to the hole in the floor where Ichigo had descended the stairs, "He went to go close the keyhole or something."

A cold feeling crawled up Eraqus's spine, "Does he know _how_ to?"

Yoruichi quickly turned around, "What?"

"All keyblade wielders, whether master or apprentice, can close the keyhole either physically or using magic if the keyhole is in an inaccessible place. One of the first lessons we learn is to conceal our presence when doing so. Someone untrained and without the knowledge will act as a literal beacon of power to the strongest heartless, drawing its attention to both them and the keyhole."

It was as Yoruichi turned to warn Ichigo that a pillar of darkness shot out from behind the room and into the sky, shattering both the floor and the roof. Eraqus quickly moved towards the shinigami and used his keyblade to erect a blue spherical barrier around the two of them that caused any debris to bounce away harmlessly.

"Do you mind if I borrow that?" Yoruichi asked Eraqus. If the keyblade was able to cast nonverbal spells with such strength and versatility then she could see why Aizen thought so much of it. Ichigo, as strong as he was, was nothing compared to Eraqus. At least for the moment if his rate of growth as a shinigami applied to the keyblade.

"DAMN IT!"

The familiar voice came from her right and Yoruichi saw Ichigo flying through the air while fighting a heartless. This particular one was nearly six feet tall and resembled a human more then any of the other types she had fought.

"I was afraid of this," Eraqus dispelled the barrier and went through his options, "Ichigo's inexperience has brought the leader of the heartless to the one place it should not be."

"We need to stop it then," the familiar crackling of shunko enveloped her hand but to her curiosity the lightning that surrounded her body had shifted from a pure white to a shadowy black.

Eraqus used his keyblade to gently make her lower her fist, "I'm afraid that this is a fight you cannot participate in. This heartless needs to be taken down swiftly before its presence draws the rest of the creatures to this room."

On the other side of the room and oblivious to the conversation concerning them, Ichigo and the heartless continued to exchange blows. As the fight dragged on Ichigo found himself being pushed back by the heartless's relentless and wild strikes. He may have had a keyblade but that counted for little against a superior opponent. That is not to say Ichigo wasn't putting up a fight, he was getting more then his share of attacks in. The problem was the heartless would become intangible whenever Ichigo exploited an opening, causing the keyblade to pass through its body.

"Bastard!" he clashed his keyblade against its claws before using his foot as a spring and pushing off the ground to increase the distance between them. Taking a few deep breaths, he used the back of his hand to wipe sweat from his face. He needed to come up with a plan to get around this heartless and make his way back to the keyhole. Any plan he had thought of was quickly thrown out the window when an unfamiliar stoic voice spoke up.

"Ars Arcanum!"

Ichigo could barely follow the number of strikes that followed even with his enhanced reflexes. One moment he sees an older man walking towards him and the next the heartless is covered in thirteen slash marks and the man was standing right in front of him.

"You have skill. There is no doubt about that," the man who vanquished his foe said without any hint of trouble, "But when an opponent has the ability to phase through attacks you must make your own attacks connect faster then it can react. That is the inherent weakness of intangibility."

"Thanks…"

"I am Eraqus, master of the keyblade. You must be Ichigo."

"How do you…?"

"Your colleague Yoruichi has filled me in. I dare say I am impressed by your innate talent with the keyblade."

"Thanks for saving me and all that but there are more pressing issues," Ichigo moved to get by Eraqus but found a surprisingly grip around his shoulder, "What do you think you're doing? I need to close the keyhole to save everyone!"

Eraqus shook his head, "I'm afraid it is too late for this world. If I had come a mere hour ago it may have ended differently but there is no hope for your world. It is going to be consumed by the darkness."

"That's bullshit!" Ichigo shouted and grabbed Eraqus's robes. With desperation in his eyes he continued, "Then what did I do all this for? Was everything I risked coming here for wasted?"

"The fact that you risked everything to save your world is commendable," Eraqus calmly replied and pulled Ichigo's hands off his robe, "But even if you were to close the keyhole now it would be too late. The heartless have already entered it and are devouring the heart of the world as we speak. We have perhaps minutes before this realm collapses entirely. I'm sorry"

"Do you mean…?"

Eraqus continued to look directly into Ichigo's eyes. If he was going to give the youth bad news he didn't want to shy away, "I arrived to this world over a city, Karakura if I read correctly. There was hardly anything left. The darkness had swallowed the city and the rest of that realm completely. We are now the last three beings remaining in this dying world."

"I refuse to believe that!" Ichigo pulled away from Eraqus, "My family was counting on me to stop the heartless and save them!"

The keyblade master now knew just what was driving Ichigo forward. He didn't take any pleasure in saying what he did, "I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do for your family. I'm not going to lie to you and say everything will be all right or that your world will be restored after embarking on a quest. Everyone you knew or loved has most likely been swallowed by the darkness or worse, had their heart eaten by the heartless."

Ichigo collapsed to his knees and stayed silent as Eraqus continued, "That is not to suggest everyone is dead. There are legends that in the past when worlds were swallowed by the darkness those with strong hearts and bodies would survive the death of their world. Those that did would end up on a random world in the Realm of Light alive and uninjured."

"So Yuzu and Karin could be alright?"

Eraqus didn't like lying. He was raised and trained to speak your mind. Where Xehanort would lie to get someone to focus he thought telling the truth, or part of it, was more appropriate, "While your family could be out there Ichigo, it could take years before you see them again, if you do at all."

"I don't care," Ichigo shouted and stood back up with renewed purpose, "If my family is out there then I am going to search every world there is until I find them and I won't stop them! I'll look for my friends as well! For Tatsuki, Orihime, Chad, and even Uryu!"

"That is a noble sentiment but do you have the will to carry it out?" Eraqus saw the familiar look in Ichigo's eyes and knew just how much determination the boy had. He had seen this look a few times in his life and every time those that had it went on to do great things. Sometimes terrible and horrific that he would never mention aloud and other times so heroic that he could never match up to their accomplishments.

"You have a keyblade, that is a good start, but a start nonetheless," he added and was glad he saw the contemplative look in Ichigo's eyes. He had seen dozens of people with the hearts to wield a keyblade see the weapon as an avenue to power and greatness and had been denied them for those very reasons.

Without pause Yoruichi walked over and slapped Ichigo's face, "Kisuke didn't want me to tell you this but he knew just how little time he had. He sacrificed everything for you to get here and did so without a second thought and you have the audacity to feel pitiful? Get over it!"

The slap seemed to snap Ichigo out from whatever stupor he was in. This was no time to be feeling pity for himself. After Grand Fisher killed his mother he promised he would not cry ever again. The thought that Grand Fisher would not survive the collapse of his world, if he was still even alive, brought solace to Ichigo that his mother's killer was now gone. Sighing, he stood back up, "Thanks for that Yoruichi. I needed it."

"You said your name was Eraqus?" the keyblade master nodded at Ichigo, "Can you help us get out of here?"

"My glider can easily fit two people without any issues," Eraqus mentioned reluctantly.

"I'm guessing three is just too much?" Yoruichi asked. When Eraqus averted his eyes he expected the woman to either break down or get upset. He did not foresee her laughing, "That's fine then! Just hold on a second and no peaking!"

In a flash of light and spiritual pressure she had disappeared and in her place was a black cat with golden eyes. The cat looked at Eraqus and said, in a masculine voice, "Will this form suffice?"

If Eraqus was surprised by her new form he didn't show it, "That will be fine. Your innate ability to control the darkness, limited as it is, should protect you from the darkness in the Lanes Between the worlds while Ichigo's strong heart and keyblade should be enough to protect him from the darkness for a single trip. Now come, we don't have much time."

Eraqus walked towards one of the open windows in the throne room closely followed by Ichigo with Yoruichi sitting on his shoulder. Ichigo didn't know how he was going to find his family, if they were out there, but he knew one thing – he wasn't going to give up. Wallowing in despair wouldn't solve anything. He needed to stay focused.

As Ichigo stepped onto the glider with Yoruichi firmly grasping his shoulder, Eraqus donned his armor and mentally ordered his glider to take them back to the Land of Departure. As they flew away from the palace Ichigo turned and sadly watched as the darkness enveloped the last bastion of light in the realm before swarming into the keyhole and subsequently, the heart of the world. The last sight he saw before passing through the gateway to the Lanes Between the worlds was an all encompassing darkness exploding out from where the palace had been and covering everything in sight.

"_I will find you Karin, Yuzu, and even you dad…you can count on that." _


	6. Chapter 6: The Land of Departure

_Here is Chapter 6 of __**Key through the Soul**__, The feedback from the last chapter was phenomenal and it really motivated me to get this out early. So this is the first chapter of the second arc of the story. The first arc, which I am leaning towards calling the __**Awakening from the Dream**__ arc is finally over and Ichigo has left his world for the greater multiverse. There are a couple of changes I made to the story that I should point out. In Chapter 4 I erroneously stated that Aqua and Terra were the same age. I did some research and found that Terra was around three years older than Aqua. So their new ages are 20 for Terra and 17 for Aqua. This puts them about 2-3 years younger then their ages in Birth By Sleep. As an addendum to this change I have rewritten Terra's personality to be more responsible and mature while at the same time having a juvenile side when the situation calls for it. Reread Chapter 4.  
_

_Some of you who have read __**26-Lord Pain's **__story __**NU: Birth of the Seeker**__ might recognize a couple of the concepts that I will introduce in this chapter. I would like to point out that I am not, in any way, shape or form,, going to follow his plot or copy his characters. He had a great story until it went on hiatus and it would be both rude and petty to copy what he did and claim it as my own work. One of the things about his story that inspired me to create __**Key through the Soul**__ was his expanded concept of the Realm of Darkness, the Princesses of Darkness (the twins of the Princesses of Heart in Kingdom Hearts), and the 'shadow worlds' where everything is a more gritty and darker version of the worlds that appear in Kingdom Hearts. While I will be using a broad version of these ideas, my story will head off in a much different direction and I don't intend to look back! If anyone has any questions or concerns please PM and I will respond when I can._

_FYI: I have 4 of the 7 Princesses of Darkness down but if anyone is able to offer a good suggestion for the other 3 I will put them in the story and credit you for the contribution. They can come from any form of media just give a brief jurisdiction on why they would work and which Princess of Heart would be their opposite. Anyway, that is enough of that. Here are the answers to some of the reviews I received for the last chapter and below that is what you have all been waiting for. _

_**Addendum 1: **There are a few shout outs in this chapter. I would also like to point out that this story is 'slightly' AU. Thank you for your time. Any grammatical errors in this chapter are because I do not have a beta reader. I do what I can and sometimes mistakes slip through the cracks.  
_

_**Addendum 2:** TvTropes is a highly interesting website._

_**A Simple Fool –**__ Thanks!_

_**Uber Prinny Lord –**__ I tried to make it realistic in the sense that the destruction of one's world would be easily shrugged off. Sora's lack of a reaction to the destruction of the Destiny Islands might be from being too young to understand (fully) what happened._

_**GuestWithIdeas –**__ I had to kill Chad because I wanted to make it realistic. If you must know what happened to him, Chad died after successfully killing dozens of heartless due to the physical nature of his powers. As for Tatsuki and Orihime, Xehanort had nothing to do with them. Yoruichi was simply unable to find any trace of them before being forced to return to Kisuke's shop. And you were right about the humans/shinigami power versus magic._

_**Raging Berserker –**__ Tidus tried to cope with what happened to Zanarkand by traveling with Yuna to vanquish Sin and putting everything behind him. That was how he survived – by not thinking about it at all._

_**Ultima-Owner –**__ Oh, if it was only that easy!_

_**Bunny153539 –**__ I could have sworn this story was 'M' not 'T.' Maybe I should fix that with all the language coming in…_

_**Nisemono96 –**__ Thank you!_

_**Luckenhaft – **__There will be several…interesting opportunities for Ichigo in the next few chapters._

_**Anonymous Legacy – **__Well, all my grammatical mistakes comes from my lack of a beta reader. I do the best I can though._

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_..._

* * *

Terra backpedaled rapidly and cursed when he felt his back hit the fence surrounding the training round. As a shadow covered his face he looked up to see Aqua descending in the air towards him, her wooden practice sword held aloft and arcing towards his exposed neck.

"You're going to have to do better then that!"

He planted a foot in the dirt and twisted to the side just in time to avoid Aqua's attack. As the echoing sound of wood hitting wood reverberated through the area Terra jumped back and evaluated his options, _"Ok, Aqua's fast and quick. I can't hit her if she sees me coming. Best option is to feint her out or distract her somehow. Man, a keyblade would be nice right about now."_

One of the first things Eraqus had drilled into Terra's head was that the keyblade was simply a tool and that the body and heart needed to be strong for it to be of any use. Those who were weak would not be able to effectively use it. It had been nearly a year since that day and in just a few months Terra would be permitted to have his own keyblade. While at times Terra could hardly stand the wait, he knew that Master Eraqus simply wanted his students to develop styles and skills not dependent on the mystical weapon.

During Terra's moment of introspection Aqua had pushed off the fence with her feet and propelled her body through the air. He had barely enough time to register the attack before his shoulder was struck with a wooden sword. Grimacing in pain he stumbled and turned around. The blue-haired teen used her hands to flip through the air and landed some feet away, "You should really stay focused Terra."

His shoulder was most definitely bruised but it was nothing a healing spell couldn't fix later on, "Yeah, yeah…"

Terra wiped dirt off his face and quickly attacked Aqua only for the petite teenager to dodge and dance around all his swings like it was a game. As his attacks continued to miss he started to get frustrated at how quick she was. What he had in strength and power Aqua had in speed and magic. When he started to become reckless with his attacks Aqua prepared herself. Before he had a chance to even think about what was going on she had grabbed his extended arm and locked a leg behind his left knee. With a small application of pressure she managed to knock him to the ground. When Terra looked up he saw her standing over him smiling with the tip of her sword inches from his exposed neck.

Aqua smiled and offered her hand, "It looks like this is my win Terra."

"You got lucky," Terra grumbled and grabbed her hand, "If it wasn't for you speed I wouldn't have lost. That makes 11 wins for me and 8 for you?"

"Think again," Aqua scoffed and playfully punched his arm, "It's 10 wins for me and 9 for you."

"What? I can't be losing to you. I want a rematch!"

Aqua and Terra walked back to their starting points and raised their wooden weapons in front of their bodies. Before they could begin another spar they heard clapping coming from the entrance to the training grounds. Standing and watching them with a jovial smile was an elderly man but the two students could feel the power and experience emanating from him.

"It is good to see a new generation eagerly take up the mantle of responsibility that is the keyblade," Xehanort complimented and began making his way across the training ground towards them, "Eraqus had written to me several times about his new students but I was doubtful he could have found such talent. I'm glad to see that my suspicions were misplaced."

Aqua;s blue eyes widened in realization and she quickly bowed, "You must be Master Xehanort."

"I'm surprised that Eraqus told you about me," Xehanort pondered, "He always did like to play things close to the heart but some of his reasons continue to boggle me even now. You two must have made a strong impression on Eraqus for him to take you on as students. He was always so stubborn. May I be honored to know your names?"

"I'm Aqua and this is Terra."

"Those are indeed strong names. You must be proficient in evading as well as magic while Terra focuses more on strength and power. Am I correct?"

Terra looked at Xehanort with awe, "How did you know that?"

Xehanort smirked, "I didn't spend decades wandering the worlds to not pick up any tricks. While my body may have begun to slow down I have developed my magic to the point that I can detect the flow of mana within other beings and determine both their strengths and weakness and, to be honest, it didn't hurt that I was watching your spar for the last several minutes."

As time passed Terra found himself relaxing more and more. Unlike his master, Xehanort wasn't a stern man who demanded perfection and didn't know how to crack a smile, "I'm not trying to be rude Master Xehanort but is there something we can help you with?"

Xehanort noticed Terra's subdued hesitation and raised a hand, "No offense taken young man. A sharp and inquisitive mind can help a person go far. It is smart of you to question my intentions even if they are friendly. You can never know when someone is not who they say they are."

They both tensed at his statement but were confused when Xehanort chuckled, "That was someone our master said when we were both about your age. Eraqus took it to heart but I interpreted it as meaning never let one's guard down even among friends. I'm actually here to see my old friend. It's been quite a few years since I have talked with Eraqus due to my duties and I wanted to catch up."

"I'm afraid Master Eraqus is currently off world," Terra politely informed him.

"He is?" Xehanort seemed genuinely surprised by that piece of news, "In all the years that he has been the steward of the Land of Departure he has not once left the world. Only something of truly important significance could have even caused him to contemplate leaving."

"Well…" Aqua shared a glance with Terra, "He said there was some extremely important business he need to take care of. I'm not sure when he'll be back."

Xehanort's gaze shifted focused on Aqua, "What important business?"

"I don't-"

"If it involves protecting the worlds in the Realm of Light from the heartless you must tell me!"

"He said something about a world falling to the darkness," Aqua stammered.

"A world falling to the darkness?" Xehanort's eyes looked to the side and his brow furrowed deep in thought, "It can't be…"

The two students waited for Xehanort to say more but the elderly master simply spun around and quickly walked out of the training grounds towards the nearby castle, never once looking back. As Terra watched him vanish around a corner he let out an involuntary shudder. He knew something bad had to have happened for their master to leave the Land of Departure but this…this was unbelievable. Worlds don't fall into the darkness and the heartless don't have enough power or the numbers to do so!

"Something bad is about to happen," he grumbled .

Aqua's blue eyes remained locked on the last spot where she had seen Xehanort. Raising a hand to her chin she absentmindedly tugged on the sleeve of her arm with her other hand, "I have a strange feeling he wasn't telling us everything."

Terra turned to her, "What could he be hiding from us and why?"

"I don't know but it can't be good," she admitted with a shake of her head, "When Master Eraqus returns I'm sure we'll find out what's happening. Now then Terra, we still have three hours of training today."

"Ugh, can I get my shoulder healed first?"

Aqua gave him a sly smile; "I'll heal your shoulder when you manage to beat me in a spar."

At that declaration Terra began wishing his master was back. He had thought Eraqus's methods were brutal and inhumane but Aqua just went above and beyond even that. If their master didn't return soon Terra might not make it.

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 6: The Land of Departure**

Late in the day, just as the heat from the spring day was beginning to break, a shimmering doorway of light appeared in the sky above the Land of Departure. Those that were familiar with such a sight only took a cursory glance before continuing on their way. For almost ten seconds the doorway hovered in place above the castle before a keyblade glider suddenly flew out followed by a trail of shattering light. The glider circled the castle a few times before landing in the central courtyard with barely a bump.

"There are several empty guest rooms you and Ichigo can rest in," Eraqus told Yoruichi as he recalled his glider, "You are free to stay in the castle for as long as you wish. I will make sure the servants know of you and your…predicament. There will be no complications."

"Thank you Eraqus," Yoruichi said while still in the form of a black cat. She glanced at Ichigo, who had yet to say a word, before turning back to the keyblade master, "If you don't mind I want to take a look around this place."

Eraqus nodded and noticed that when Yoruichi vanished in that strange speed magic she did so with a small burst of darkness. As the wards in the castle telepathically informed him of the burst of darkness he mentally repressed the warning and reconfigured them to acknowledge Yoruichi as not a threat. As the wards relaxed and returned to their passive state Eraqus focused on a much more pressing problem. Throughout their entire trip back to the Land of Departure Ichigo had not spoken a single word and Eraqus was beginning to worry for the boy.

"Ichigo," he said and noticed the teen tense up. Eraqus had never been all that good with heart to heart conversations like this and he was stumbling over what he could say to bring Ichigo out of his shell, "I'll be completely honest with you. There is no way that I can understand nor comprehend what it was that happened to your world. It is a travesty that should not have occurred and I cannot help but blame myself for not arriving in time to help. There are those that will gladly offer to help you learn to cope with what happened to your world. All you need to do is ask."

The orange-haired teen turned away from Eraqus and looked at the sun hovering in the sky. Everything was so different from his world yet was strangely the same. Taking a deep breath he addressed the keyblade master, "I think I'll be fine. It's just that…so much happened that I couldn't do anything about. I failed my family, friends, and entire world. I…just need some time alone to think. Thank you for the offer."

"I understand," Eraqus motioned for a servant to show Ichigo to one of the more opulent rooms. As the master watched the teen leave he let out a repressed sigh. He knew that there was nothing he could have done to reach his world earlier but that did not help to lessen the guilt he faced for not being able to help.

"There you are Eraqus. I saw your glider land and came as quickly as I could."

"Xehanort?" Eraqus looked at his old friend with apprehension. While they corresponded from time to time they hadn't spoken ever since Xehanort started becoming obsessed with the Keyblade War a few years ago, "What are you doing in the Land of Departure?"

"I can't come see an old friend?"

When Xehanort saw the suspicion on Eraqus's face he sighed in regret, "These last four years have given me a lot to think about. Perhaps I was wrong to do what I did. It was just…the Keyblade War Eraqus! My mind was filled with all the possibilities and knowledge we could learn about light and darkness if Kingdom Hearts was within our grasp. With that power we could destroy the heartless! That power…it blinded me and I'm ashamed to say it nearly destroyed our friendship."

"Is that why you came here? To apologize?"

"At first I did," Xehanort's expression turned grave, "But when I ran into your students they mentioned you were off world. What troubled me was the mention of a world falling into the darkness."

Eraqus stood silent before turning around, "We should have this discussion elsewhere Xehanort."

* * *

...

* * *

Terra barreled down the halls of the castle in the Land of Departure, careful to avoid running into the many beings and servants that populated the castle. He had seen his master's glider arrive earlier and had wanted to ask him questions about what happened but Aqua had forced him to stay and finish their training. Terra did it without complaining but something big was going on and he was curious as to what that was. As he slid around a bend in the hall and almost slipped and fell he heard his master's voice coming from behind a nearby door. Terra hadn't been to this section of the castle many times but he quickly recognized the room as one of the small libraries his master liked to visit and meditate in.

"What I saw…nothing could have prepared me for such an atrocity."

Terra's curiosity overwhelmed his common sense and he carefully moved closer to the closed door. He knew that Master Eraqus would find such behavior reprehensible and if he was caught there would be hell to pay but his master's leaving and Xehanort's strange reaction to what he and Aqua said earlier this morning concerned him. If he was going to be a keyblade master he needed to know what was going on. Pressing his ear against the door Terra quieted his breath as he carefully listened.

"The death of a world to the heartless…are you certain that is what you saw Eraqus?" Xehanort asked agitated. Terra might not have been able to see what was going on but he could hear someone quickly pacing back and forth on the floor.

"I am quite certain Xehanort," his master sighed, "It could not be anything else. To think I would witness something that had only been talked about in legends…there is nothing to describe the abject feeling of helplessness as the darkness enveloped the world."

The pacing stopped and Xehanort's voice sounded farther away. Terra realized he must have moved towards the back of the room, "This is most vexing Eraqus. How could the darkness have become so powerful under our watch? In all my travels as a seeker I did not see any sign of the heartless gaining such strength. Are you certain you personally witnessed the behemoth type heartless?"

"Yes…" Eraqus's voice trailed off before picking back up, "The last time I saw a behemoth-class heartless was during that time we went to the Realm of Darkness when we were younger. But even that behemoth was only about half the size of the ones I saw."

"Hmm. The size of a behemoth is an indication of the overall strength of the darkness. This could only mean one thing – the heartless are gaining strength."

Terra nearly fell when the sound of something heavy echoed from in the room, "That's impossible! Just a few years ago the heartless were at their weakest in recorded history and now they're stronger then ever? Where have they been hiding?"

"That is a valid concern," Xehanort conceded and Terra felt he might be saying that to placate Eraqus, "But there is another possibility and I am loathe to even suggest it. The keyblade bearers have never had more then a passing jurisdiction in the Realm of Darkness due to the inherent corruption of the darkness permeating the realm. The heartless are devoid of emotion but the stronger ones are not unintelligent. They could have easily used this lapse in our observations to slowly and carefully increase their numbers."

"If I may interject gentlemen," a male voice Terra did not recognize spoke, "But I do believe we have a guest waiting just outside this room. A young man by the feeling of it."

Before Terra's brain could send the signal to his body to flee, the door to the library was swung open and Eraqus stood there glaring down at his student. Terra tried to give a friendly smile but found himself wishing he could somehow become invisible, "Did I teach you nothing about manners Terra? What reason could you possibly have for eavesdropping? Give me one reason why I should continue to train you to be a keyblade master!"

Terra quickly recovered and knelt down onto one knee, his fist touching the floor and his head bowed low, "I apologize for my rudeness Master Eraqus. I heard you speaking with Master Xehanort and my curiosity got the better of me."

"That does not excuse you from listening in on us," his master reprimanded, "For this you will need to be disciplined."

"Let's not be too hasty Eraqus," Xehanort said from where he was standing at the window with his back turned to the door, "Look at Terra's eavesdropping from another perspective. A young apprentice, without his own keyblade and still under your tutoring, was able to listen in on the conversation of two masters with years of experience and training without being detected. If it weren't for Yoruichi then Terra might still be out there listening to us and we wouldn't have the faintest clue he was there."

Eraqus's eyes darted back and forth and he contemplated what his friend was saying. For a moment Terra thought he had gotten off the hook but his hopes were soon dashed when Eraqus spoke, "Despite what Xehanort thinks you have still eavesdropped and must be punished. I think a week of scrubbing the floors in the foyer of the castle will be enough to teach you proper manners. If not then we can always go from there."

Terra grumbled by didn't complain, "Yes, Master Eraqus."

"Quite an interesting student you have here Eraqus," the same voice spoke but this time much closer to Terra, "He does have some potential."

Terra looked around but saw no one. When he heard something purring he looked down and saw a black cat with yellow eyes sitting at his feet looking up at him. The cat seemed to find his reaction amusing and said, "Is there something on my face?"

"Gah!" Terra backpedaled and nearly tripped in surprise, "You talked!"

"Of course I talk," the cat said and gave him a flat look, "What made you think I couldn't talk?"

He pointed a finger at it, "Cats do not talk!"

"Kids these days," the cat sighed and turned to leave, "Eraqus, I'm going to go see how Ichigo is doing. I'll catch up with you later to finish our discussion."

Terra might have been shocked that the cat could even talk but when it disappeared in burst of speed accompanied by a flash of darkness his eyes opened in shock. He had begun to pull on his mana to cast a spell when his master's hand clamped around his wrist hard enough to cause the teen to wince in pain.

"Your actions would have been acceptable in most other circumstances Terra but this is something truly unprecedented. Yoruichi may use the power of darkness but the situation is more complicated then you think."

Eraqus stepped around him and left, leaving Terra alone with Xehanort. The elderly master patted him on the shoulder, "Do not worry about Eraqus. It has been a trying day for everyone and he is just trying to keep some semblance of order in his life. He wouldn't have stopped you from casting that spell if he didn't think you had the potential to be a great master. Do not fret too much about it."

With that being said, Xehanort walked away leaving Terra alone in the hallway. Terra stood there before his brown eyes narrowed and he ran back the way he came. He needed to find Aqua and tell her what just happened. If he were lucky she would still be at the training grounds casting the magic that came so easily to her. Little did Terra know that he was actually heading in the completely opposite direction of who he was looking for and it would take him a couple of hours before he realized it.

* * *

...

* * *

Ichigo leaned against the wall in his room and stared out over the Land of Departure. In the past twenty-four hours his entire view had been turned upside down. Everything he knew about the universe was wrong but perhaps that was not the case here. It turned out that his world, which Eraqus had allowed Ichigo to call Karakura in honor of his hometown, was only one of thousands, perhaps millions that existed in a void split into two realms of light and darkness. Despite the master keyblade wielder's best attempts to comfort Ichigo in his own way, the former shinigami had asked for some time alone to gather his thoughts. Eraqus had seemed to understand and quickly left Ichigo to his own thoughts.

"_If I'm going to find Yuzu and Karin I'm going to need to learn more about these worlds,"_ Ichigo sighed and ran a hand through his orange hair. He was fifteen years old. He was supposed to be in high school thinking about girls, sports, going to college and the occasional wandering spirit, _"__If there are as many worlds out there as that Eraqus guy said then how will I ever find them?__"_

The minutes passed in silence as Ichigo watched the strange sun slowly make its way across the sky. It was interesting to see how different things were in this world, the Land of Departure Eraqus called it. If the circumstances were any different Ichigo would have been more open to learning about the world but to his regret his mind was grounded by the heavy problems weighing down his heart. When the door to his temporarily quarters creaked open Ichigo thought it was Eraqus or even Yoruichi coming to check up on him and didn't turn around.

"So what Eraqus told me is regretfully true."

Ichigo's heart felt like a jackhammer in his chest and his skin broke out in a cold sweat at the strangely familiar voice. As he blood ran cold he turned and saw the man who he had saved from those street punks the night after the strange dream that started everything. The man had his hands folded behind his back and walked with a slight hunch into his room. He didn't seem to notice Ichigo's frozen expression as he continued to speak, "I apologize from the deepest depths of my heart for what happened to your world young Ichigo."

As Xehanort attempted to apologize, Ichigo's fists shook in barely contained rage as he recalled the Soul King's final words:

"_**Have you come…to finish me off…keyblade bearer? Destroy everything that…I worked to protect?"**_

Xehanort wasn't prepared for Ichigo to explode. Before he could finish what he was saying Ichigo had stalked across the room and grabbed the elderly master by his coat before slamming him into the wall with enough force to knock a painting off its hook. Xehanort coughed harshly as he tried to pry Ichigo's hands off his body, "What is the meaning of this?"

That must not have been what Ichigo wanted to hear because he started pushing the master against the wall and off the floor, "You know damn well why I'm doing this! It was you who destroyed Karakura!"

Xehanort's amber eyes widened briefly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Before the Soul King died," Ichigo had seen the barely perceivable change in Xehanort's expression and knew he was lying. Tightening his grip in retaliation he continued, "He confused me with someone else. He thought I was the keyblade bearer who had left him for dead and up until now I was confused by what he meant. Now though, now everything is making sense. You were in Karakura Town that night before everything went to hell because you were the one to cause it! You were the one who attacked my dad and the Soul King and worst of all, you were the one who destroyed my world! Everyone I ever cared about is dead because of you!"

By this point Ichigo's voice had risen until he was literally yelling at Xehanort. The keyblade master continued to struggle against Ichigo's grip, "You have it all wrong Ichigo. I know who really destroyed your world. Just let me down and I'll explain everything."

Ichigo didn't look like he believed what Xehanort was saying but after a moment he released him. The keyblade master slid to the ground and coughed while rubbing his neck, "I fully understand your anger Ichigo. If I were in your position I would do the same thing."

"I don't want to hear any of that crap! Just tell me what happened."

Xehanort leaned his head back against the wall, "Despite what you may think I did not intend to come to your world that night. That I was able to even find it was sheer luck."

"You're saying it was simply luck?" Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

"I am what is known as a seeker. It is my duty to travel between the worlds in the Realm of Light for any sign of the darkness or heartless. Everything I find is recorded and sent to the vast and extensive libraries both here and in Radiant Garden."

"You did not answer my question."

"I am getting to that," Xehanort said and managed to pick himself off the floor with barely a grunt, "Throughout my time as a seeker I have had various missions and goals. My most recent one was creating a catalogue of the worlds near the border of the Realm of Darkness. For many years that part of the Realm of Light has been scantily explored with only vague rumors and myths. Somehow, by fate perhaps, I passed through the barrier separating the two realms without realizing it."

"Back up a second. Why are there two realms?" Ichigo, to his frustration, found his anger towards Xehanort dropping every second.

"No one is certain," Xehanort explained mystically, "It as been that way for as long as us keyblade masters can remember. If you truly wish to discuss the mythology behind the two realms you can talk to Eraqus. When I realized I had passed into the Realm of Darkness I quickly tried to turn around and leave before the darkness could stain my heart. Special precautions are needed whenever a being of the Realm of Light passes into the Realm of Darkness and I was not prepared by any rate. It was as I made my way back that I hit the barrier cloaking your world from the rest of the realm. My curiosity got the better of me and I landed on your world."

Everything made sense in a way to him but Ichigo was not going to just take Xehanort's word for it, "If you are as strong as you say then why didn't you fight back against those punks? You could have easily fought them off with magic or something.

Xehanort sighed and walked towards the sole window in the room, "Against my wishes I was unable to. There is an old rule among those that wield the keyblade that says we are to keep our interference with the uninformed worlds to an absolute minimum. Unless the world is acutely aware of our existence we are not to interfere with anything or anyone. "

"Then why did you speak to me?"

"It is not everyday that I sense a being with a heart strong enough to wield a keyblade without undergoing years of training," Xehanort let out a mirthful chuckle, "I broke enough rules to give Eraqus an aneurism by speaking with you and giving you that keychain but I think it was worth it. I knew I had to catalogue the location of the world and leave but I felt that if you were able to eventually summon a keyblade of your own then you would be strong enough to protect your world. I deeply regret not staying another day on your world. If only I had known…"

Ichigo took a step towards him, "What are you talking about?"

Xehanort turned his head to look at Ichigo before returning his eyes towards the outside courtyard, "At first I had thought I was imagining things; that what I felt was simply the residue of a strange and new world's magic. After talking with Eraqus and Yoruichi I see now that I was wrong. What I felt and stupidly ignored was the feeling of another keyblade bearer on your world."

"Who was it?" Ichigo demanded. This may be the first clue to the identity of the bastard who destroyed his world. He wasn't going to let Xehanort walk away without getting an answer.

"I'm afraid I do not know young Ichigo," Xehanort shook his head sadly and clenched a fist, "I was only on your world long enough to just barely sense this person. To have managed to hide their presence from a master of my experience does not bode well for the worlds. Such a person could travel between the worlds in both the Realm of Light and Darkness without being detected. Only a being who had enveloped their heart in the darkness could have accomplished such a feat."

Xehanort turned to leave the room. As he passed Ichigo he whispered into his ear, "I am not sure whom to trust with this information apart from Eraqus and your companion Yoruichi. There was something else about this keyblade bearer that I didn't register at the time. At first I thought they must have been traveling in the Realm of Darkness for some time before coming to your world but now I think they are _from_ the Realm of Darkness."

Ichigo didn't watch him leave, "So what do I do?"

"For now you will do nothing," the master answered from the door, his features blocked out by the light of the setting sun, making him appear as a dark shadow, "I can see you what to rush out and chase down this keyblade bearer but at your level of skill you would not stand a chance against such darkness. I will talk with Eraqus about our possible options regarding your training as a keyblade bearer and what do to with this mysterious figure. I _will_ found out who is threatening the balance between the realms. You can trust me Ichigo."

With that Xehanort disappeared, leaving Ichigo alone with his thoughts. He continued to stand there in his room, thinking about all that he had just learned, when he took a deep breath and turned around. There was no use standing in the darkness moping about his problems. He needed to take action.

* * *

...

* * *

Yoruichi eyed the saucer of milk in front of her with barely concealed interest. Standing across the table from the transformed captain was Eraqus, whose lack of sleep after everything that happened was causing bags to develop beneath his eyes. She temporarily ignored him to drink from the saucer only for Aqua to pull it away. She glared at the blue-haired teen before turning her attention to Eraqus, "Tell me more about these different realms."

Eraqus folded his hands behind his back, as he seemed to ponder the answer, "The universe as a whole is split nearly equally in two with one side the Realm of Light and the other the Realm of Darkness. There also exists the Realm Between where the Land of Departure rests."

Yoruichi looked out the window at the setting sun, "Realm Between?"

Eraqus shook his head, "It means that the light and darkness on the world is nearly perfectly balanced. In most worlds either light or darkness has an advantage over the other. It's a common misconception that the Land of Departure lays directly in the middle of the two realms. This world lies closer to the Realm of Light than the Realm of Darkness."

"From a casual observation there doesn't seem to be much of a difference between the two realms," Yoruichi stated. She attempted to sneak up on Aqua to get at the milk but the teen was smart enough to pick the saucer off the table and hold it over her head, "At any rate, most of the differences appear to be philosophical or environmental."

"I wish I could tell you more Yoruichi but information on the Realm of Darkness is sketchy at best due to the inherent corruptive power of darkness on beings from the Realm of Light. Even Xehanort has not traveled extensively into the Realm of Darkness for more than a day. If you must, think of the two realms as polar opposites where several aspects remain the same while others vary quite differently. Yin and Yang if you want to be philosophical."

Getting annoyed at Aqua, Yoruichi vanished in a burst of speed accompanied by a faint wisp of darkness before reappearing on top of her head. When she did she felt Aqua's body tense up slightly, "Your student seems to be put off by my use of this so-called darkness. Is that because my powers are inclined towards it?"

Aqua put the saucer back on the table and quickly grabbed Yoruichi off her head. Holding the cat with outstretched arms she examined her with a piercing gaze, "You don't seem dangerous and Master Eraqus did say you tried to save your world from the heartless so why do you use the power of darkness?"

Yoruichi gave Aqua a bored expression, "Did you ever consider that this darkness as you call it is the only power I have to use?"

"Well no…"

"Aqua," Eraqus reprimanded, causing her to quickly close her mouth and let Yoruichi go. The master seemed to think over something in his mind before continuing, "I would have preferred to say this in a more secretive place but the reason Yoruichi is able to use the power of darkness so fluently without repercussion is because her world, Karakura, lies within the Realm of Darkness."

A gasp escaped from Aqua's lips, "Master Eraqus, I thought the Realm of Darkness was where the darkness in the hearts of people coalesce and grow?"

"I wish I could have told you and Terra after you received your keyblades but I suppose that can't be helped now," Eraqus guiltily motioned for Aqua to sit down, "What I am about to tell you will not leave this room. You already know that the keyblade bearers that have attempted to cross to the Realm of Darkness have encountered a desolate and depressingly dark realm but that is merely an illusion known as the Dark Margin. Those that attempt to cross over without the proper strength of heart as well as mind will find themselves unable to do so."

Eraqus walked over to the window, his form bathed in the dying embers from the setting sun, "I have been to the Realm of Darkness twice in my life. Once when I was younger and yesterday when I rescued Ichigo and Yoruichi from the death of their world."

"Master Eraqus," Aqua said softly and nervously fidgeted in her seat, "What did you see in the Realm of Darkness?"

To Aqua's surprise, her master's tone was serious, "Aqua, while you have not yet traveled to the worlds are you aware that each star in the sky is a world?" She nodded and Eraqus continued, "The Realm of Darkness is eerily similar to the Realm of Light with many of the worlds similar to the worlds here in many regards but be warned, each world is a dark reflection of the worlds in the Realm of Light. While a world here might be childish, light-hearted, friendly, and amiable the version in the Realm of Darkness will be grounded in misery, facts, introspection, doubt, and paranoia. Those that live on worlds in the Realm of Darkness almost always have harder lives, with every day a struggle."

Aqua covered her mouth in horror, "That's terrible."

Eraqus shook his head; "You are seventeen now Aqua. I expected you to be able to think outside the box but I suppose that is an acceptable reaction. Despite what you may think these worlds are not necessary evil or corrupted. Everything must have balance and the worlds are no exception. Most scholars do not discuss the worlds in the Realm of Darkness because they are either unaware of their existence or are desperately afraid of gaining their attention."

"Afraid?" Yoruichi interest in the conversation caused her to ignore her milk, "If the knowledge of these 'dark worlds' is so rare then what is there to be afraid of?"

Eraqus gazed at his blue-haired student, "The reason scholars fear the denizens of the Realm of Darkness is because they are, largely resistant to the corruptive power of darkness. That is not to say they can use it at a whim. When even the slightest exposure to the darkness will taint our hearts, beings born in the Realm of Darkness will show no such problems. It takes a significant amount of darkness over a long time to have the same effect on someone like Yoruichi. Scholars misinterpret this resistance as immunity and fear it as an ability to control the heartless. That is a fallacy and a grave one at that. Those that live in the Realm of Darkness is at just as much risk from the heartless as the rest of us."

"That does not explain my ability to use the darkness you speak of," Yoruichi added.

"I have a theory," Eraqus held his hands and began gesturing in the air, "As the boundaries of your world began to collapse, the darkness surrounding it rushed in to fill the void. Since your world was already in the Realm of Darkness, your abilities merely adapted to using it for your own use. I must caution you though Yoruichi. The darkness can stain even your heart given enough time. Be wary of such power."

Yoruichi's golden eyes locked gazes with Eraqus, "Noted."

"If we can get back to the reason I asked to speak with you Yoruichi, can you tell me what happened just before my arrival?"

Yoruichi gave Eraqus a pointed look before jumping into Aqua's lap, "A late friend helped Ichigo and me break into the dimension known as the Royal Realm. We had determined that is where the keyhole to the world was located and raced to reach it before the heartless found it. We fought our way to the throne room where the Soul King, our world's leader, ruled from. When we got there we found him on the verge of death. Before dying he mentioned being attacked by another keyblade bearer."

Aqua stared at her master, "Keyblade bearer? That's impossible!"

"Hmm…" Eraqus seemed extremely worried about something, "I had wanted Xehanort to be mistaken but it seems I cannot ignore such evidence…"

Further conversation was stopped when the door to the large room swung open and Terra stumbled through soon followed by Xehanort. The elderly master hit the back of Terra's head before talking, "I apologize for my lateness Eraqus. Young Terra here was surprisingly difficult to find."

Terra rubbed the back of his head where Xehanort had slapped him, "How I was I supposed to know Master Eraqus wanted to see me?"

"I'm a keyblade master. You are supposed to take my word as law," Xehanort answered before turning his attention to Eraqus, concern etched on his face, "Eraqus, has what Yoruichi said backed up my theory on what happened to Karakura?"

"I'm afraid so," Eraqus reluctantly admitted, "It appears that we may have a rogue keyblade bearer but I am not convinced they are from the Realm of Darkness. If you could have found that world it stands to reason another keyblade bearer could find it as well."

"All the evidence points towards that conclusion!" Xehanort raised his voice as his hands twitched, "To ignore what is put in front of your eyes is tantamount to condemning all the worlds! For all you know I could be the culprit and you would still not believe it!"

"That's enough Xehanort!" Eraqus shouted, much to the shock of his students. They had never seen their master raise his voice; "I will not stand for such disrespect! Even if what you say is true there is nothing we can do at the moment. The Realm of Darkness is as vast as the Realm of Light and even if we could get there, where would we start?"

For a moment everyone thought Xehanort would respond in kind but after a few seconds he closed his eyes, "So be it. Do with the information that I gave what you want. Just know that ignorance is not always bliss."

"Xehanort…"

The elderly master ignored the growl, "Onto a different matter, what are we to do with Ichigo? The boy managed to use the keychain I gave him to summon a keyblade of his own."

"What?" Terra and Aqua said at the same time. To say they were shocked, and a little jealous, would be accurate.

"I should be angry that you disregard the very laws we stand for Xehanort but this is an unprecedented event," Eraqus said unable to high how impressive that was from his voice, "The boy has a strong, but damaged, heart and would make a fine keyblade bearer but it would not be fair to take him as a student when I already have Terra and Aqua. There is also the matter of him being from the Realm of Darkness. If I took him as a student I would not know where to start with his training."

"I recommend we proceed cautiously," Xehanort stroked his chin, "This is an opportunity to witness someone from the Realm of Darkness wield a keyblade. Who knows how the legendary weapon will work for someone like him. It might not be any different but let us not jump to conclusions. We should do well not to antagonize him or make Ichigo feel as if he is unwelcome just because of where he came from. He is full of anger and hatred for the one that destroyed his world. If any decision is made I only ask that you allow him a few days to come to terms with what happened. It is not right that one so young had to experience such a calamity."

"Agreed but I want someone to keep an eye on him. That boy just saw his world be devoured by the heartless despite giving everything he had to stop them. I'm more concerned for his state of mind then whether he wields the darkness. Stronger minds have snapped for less."

Yoruichi just dismissively waved a paw in the air, "Don't worry about Ichigo. He's a tough kid."

Terra looked at Yoruichi and then at Aqua, who continued to scratch her ear, "Aren't you concerned that this cat is talking?"

"Not really," Aqua answered without emotion, "The Cheshire Cat talks so why can't Yoruichi?"

"It still freaks me out that a cat is talking," Terra shivered in disgust at the mere thought.

"You needn't worry about me," Yoruichi stood up and hopped off Aqua's lap onto the floor. She walked some distance away before turning around, "I'm not really a cat. This is just a form I like to take."

Eraqus seemed to predict a headache coming on, most likely from those in the room, and asked, "Are you sure you would reveal yourself so quickly Yoruichi? There really is no need to show your true form."

Xehanort looked at his friend with confusion, "True form Eraqus?"

"It is a spectacular sight Xehanort," Eraqus mentioned offhandedly, "I don't think you would have come across anything quite like it in your travels."

"Watch and learn," Yoruichi's cat body tensed and she was quickly enveloped in a bright light tinged with wisped of darkness that radiated off into the room before disappearing. Those present noticed the darkness but were too transfixed on the transformation to care. After several seconds the light died down only for the spot where Yoruichi was to be covered in a thick grey smoke that hid everything inside of it from view. As the smoke finally cleared everyone except for Eraqus stared in shock. Even the normally unflappable Xehanort was caught with his mouth slightly agape at what he saw.

It was lucky for the two minors in the room that Yoruichi had opted to transform back with all her clothes on. As she cockily walked out of the smoke wearing her shinigami shihakusho and modified captain's haori she noticed three pairs of wide eyes staring at her.

Her amber eyes blinked once in confusion, "What?"

To everyone in the room is what like looking at a younger, and female, version of Xehanort with long purple hair right down to the dark skin and amber eyes. Terra opted to break the silence and turned to the elderly master, "Master Xehanort. I did not know you had a daughter."

* * *

...

* * *

The fall of a world to the heartless does not go unnoticed by the collective universe at large. A shockwave of sorts rippled out from where Karakura had once exited and propagated outwards through the Realm of Darkness. As it moved past and through the worlds, its effects caused those that were specially attuned to the darkness to feel a disturbance. Some experienced nothing more then minor headaches and passed it off as a temporary malady. Others, especially those that have embraced the darkness for what it is, were affected much more severely.

In an isolated sector of the multiverse, long since removed from both the light and darkness by those that came before, an ancient race of beings felt the disappearance of Karakura and were awakened from their slumber. They had been sealed away eons ago by the very first wielders of the keyblade. As their power returned they worked to remove the seal that contained them. If any worlds had been nearby they would have witnessed a light so intense as the seal shattered that they would have been wiped from existence.

Though the seal holding them back was removed the beings did not leave. Where the heartless operated on instinct and power these beings functioned on emotions and reasoning. Those that commanded the horde realized an overt show of force would most likely backfire and quickly lead to their final destruction. They were uncertain whether those that came before had passed down the knowledge of the seal and they did not want to take the chance.

Information must be gathered and history learned.

Priorities were taken. The beings saw the Realm of Light and realized that most of their difficulties would come from conquering that realm, so they turned their attention to the Realm of Darkness. The power of darkness that permeated that place more then any other frightened these beings, for it was their only weakness. They feared the darkness but they feared the heartless more, for contact with a heartless of equal strength would lead to mutual and permanent destruction. They could not afford to be seen and yet they needed to find out what was happening.

A scout was to be sent.

* * *

...

* * *

A barefooted woman pulled her thick cloak further around her body as the sandstorm on the horizon drew ever closer. She viewed the thick brown haze that threatened to envelope the desert with veiled fear and made sure her hood was secured before quickly resuming along her path. Her father would not be far behind and if he managed to overtake her, which was all the more likely since she needed to find shelter before the storm reached her, then Ahriman would escape from the Tree of Life and threaten the entire world with complete and infinite darkness. The God of Darkness had not always been evil. He had once stood by his brother Ormazd to preserve the balance between the Light and the Darkness in the world.

Then they came…and everything fell apart. The legend stated that creatures from outside the world had descended on the world like locusts. Ormazd and Ahriman had valiantly fought against them but to no avail. Ormazd had quickly fled with barely his life and Ahriman had fallen into a never-ending spiral of madness and paranoia.

Princess Elika thought she saw a landmark when she collapsed to her knees as one of the most intense pains wracked her body. Her arms quivered as she struggled to keep from falling face first into the sand and her hands clenched the dune with all her might. As her eyes clenched shut in a futile attempt to mitigate the pain places she had never seen flashed in front of her eyes and try as she might she couldn't get them to stop. The pain lasted for nearly a minute before it left as suddenly as it came and she fell onto her side, breathing heavily and in a cold sweat.

"What…what was that?" she gasped as her senses came flooding back. Alongside the pain coursing through her body she had the feeling the something terrible had awakened somewhere and it was not Ahriman.

"No," she said with rising terror, "Ahriman would pale in comparison to this cosmic terror. The gods would tremble if placed in the presence of such creatures. I must make haste. This world cannot stand against such creatures."

Elika tightened her cloak around her body and quickened her pace. She couldn't afford to rest. She needed to beat her father to the Tree of Life and make sure Ahriman remained sealed. She needed to convince her father that there was a greater evil just waiting for the world to be weakened before returning.

* * *

...

* * *

"Hold her down!"

Doctor Heironymous Wilson or Harold to his colleagues, pushed his way past several nurses who were watching the scene with amusement etched on their faces. Finding humor in the mentally ill was something that sickened the doctor to his very soul. He was trying to help these people, no matter how far gone they were, and his staff were acting as if this was a sideshow exhibit. As he entered the small, one bed room he saw to his horror seventeen year old Alice Liddell convulsing on her bed. On either side of her thrashing body was a burly and filthy orderly. The two men were using their considerable size to grip the comatose girl's shoulders and arms as well as pinning her neck down so she would not damage it.

"For God's sake do not hurt her!" he roared at one of the orderlies who had gotten a bit too physical in restraining Alice.

"What's the problem?" the man sneered at the doctor. Heironymous glared at the man and realized this was nepotism at its finest, "She's gone loony and won't ever be right in the head again. What's wrong if I bruise her delicate skin a little bit?"

Once the two orderlies finished strapping Alice to her bed with thick leather belts Heironymous ordered everyone out of her room. Ignoring the whispered insults from the orderly he had reprimanded, Heironymous examined Alice's injured arm and sighed in relief when he saw it was merely bruised and not broken. Standing up with a grunt, he stared down into her vacant and expressionless eyes and wondered if she was even aware of what had just happened to her.

"Sometimes I wonder if you do this to spite me. That you remain the way you do just to keep me from moving on with my career," he stood up and turned to leave. Before closing the door he noticed the white rabbit doll leaning haphazardly on the stand next to her bed. Walking back into her room he gently picked it up and wrapped Alice's good arm around it.

"Perhaps this toy will give you some comfort in whatever Wonderland you have dreamt up in that damaged head of yours," he closed the door to her room and locked the two deadbolts before slowly heading back to his small office.

As the light from his kerosene lantern faded away down the hall Alice's hand twitched and slowly curled around the white rabbit. For just a brief moment her eyes focused on the strange patterns of shadows that swirled in front of her before she resumed her catatonic state.

* * *

...

* * *

"What was the model you wanted again? Uh-huh. Is that with one 'k' or two? Yes dad, I can do this. But-fine. Yeah, I'll see you for dinner. Love you, bye."

Heather Mason hung on the pay phone and rubbed her temple to stave off the headache that was surely to come. Her dad could be so frustrating when it came to letting her go out on her own. Even the simplest tasks, like getting him this stupid power drill, was made exceedingly more difficult by the fact he wanted her to call him when she reached the Central Square Shopping Center. It wasn't as if she could get lost when she had come here on the same train dozens of times since they moved.

Walking out of the alcove that housed the pay phones, Heather tucked the hastily written note with the brand of drill her dad wanted into her jacket and sat down on a bench.

"Ugh…dad can be so annoying sometimes."

"_But that's not what worries me," _she finished in her mind.

For as long as she could tell people looked different to her. When she looked at pictures or movies they seemed normal and fine but up close and in person strange things happened. If she ever made eye contact with someone she would see his or her body enveloped in a bright white light, a dark black shadow, or something in between. It was fairly obvious, for some reason that made sense to her, that she was seeing how pure or evil someone one. The ironic thing was that some of the priests and those that preached peace and equality and darker auras than others. When she had first noticed this she had run home to her dad and saw to her eternal relief that his aura was nearly pure white.

She can't remember a time when she had been that happy.

Leaning her head back and puffing up her cheeks, she let out a breath and sighed, "I better get dad's thing before he has a stroke or something."

It hit her almost as soon as she got up. A pain so intense that she collapsed and began convulsing on the floor. As people rushed to her aid and others to find a phone to call for help Heather began to see things she wished she hadn't. Images of creatures falling down from the sky to devour the world and monsters that came from ones own psyche filled her eyes to the point where tears began to stream down her face and onto the tiled floor.

Several minutes later and after she had stopped convulsing the paramedics arrived and began loading her onto a stretcher.

"Miss, can you hear me?" one of them, Heather couldn't tell which in her current state, asked as he hooked her up to an IV bag, "Miss, you had a seizure. We're going to take you to Danvers State Hospital to make sure you're alright. Is there someone we can contact?"

It took all her effort but just before lapsing into unconsciousness she managed to mutter, "…Harry…Mason…"

Just outside the crowd of concerned people a man in a beige coat with a hat pulled over his eyes watched Heather being taken away. He slowly made his way to the pay phones and waited until he reached the farthest one before dialing in the number his contact had given him.

"It's Douglas Cartland. Put Claudia on."

He paused a moment, "Yes this is her business. She did hire me. No I won't call back later, just goddamn get her!"

Douglas Cartland waited impatiently as whoever was on the phone left to get Claudia Running a hand down his face he reached for a cigarette in his breast pocket before remembering he had quit several weeks ago, "This is Cartland. I have an update on the Heather Mason case. Sometime has come up and I don't think you'll like it."

The voice on the other end sounded frantic and Douglas was forced to hold the phone away from his ear, "Calm down and listen. I just witnessed Heather have some kind of seizure. She's being taken to Danvers State Hospital. Yes. Gordon Fleming in the chief of medicine. How do I know him? He's an old friend from college. I'm sure he'll let me see her if I tell him why I'm there. Yes, I'll head over right now."

He hung up the phone and headed for his car. This case was getting weirder by the day. Something had sounded strange when Claudia had said Heather was kidnapped but everything checked out. Douglas was a private investigator. He was going to get to the bottom of this mystery even if it killed him.

* * *

...

* * *

Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing swallowed the three aspirin in her hand without a second thought. As she rubbed the bridge of her nose, hoping that the most intense migraine of her short life vanished, she became acutely aware of another, familiar, presence standing in the shadows across the room from her.

"I have a door."

"Don't mind me," an aristocratic and arrogant voice replied, "I'm just enjoying the brief glimpse of paradise."

"Alucard…your sense of humor is as delightful as ever," she retorted and decided to light a cigarette. She needed something to take her mind of the constant pain in her head and aspirin just wasn't cutting it. Letting out a wisp of smoke from between her lips she stared at where she knew his eyes to be, "I'm surmising that you have some idea of what happened to me?"

"More then you would like to know," Alucard answered and stepped out of the shadows into the moonlight, "It begins quite a long time ago. Long before I met you, before my defeat against Abraham, before even your people across the ocean threw off the reigns of the monarchy. One day I came across a being unlike no other. Upon noticing me it attempted to kill me and nearly succeeded. Eventually I managed to defeat it but as I laid there on the verge of death it spoke to me."

Integra moved the cigarette to the other side of her mouth, "What did it say?"

Alucard grinned, showing off a mouthful of supernaturally sharp teeth, "It told me that my days of existence were drawing to a close. That its masters would awaken once again and when they did my world shall be purged of everything. I would have laughed at such a declaration but my current state did not allow me to do so."

"That is an entertaining story but what does that have to do with me?"

"Your heart is stained with darkness despite your most benevolent of intentions. I can tell you nothing that you do not already know yourself."

Integra took a drag from her cigarette and tossed a folder across her desk, "There's been reports of a string of murders in a small village called Cheddar. What brought this to our attention was that the murders only occurred at night and the victims were drained of their blood. The local police force has already been mobilized but I want you to dispose of the problem with extreme prejudice."

Alucard took one look at the folder before grinning maniacally. "How interesting…"

Integra watched Alucard vanish back into the shadows without a hint of the intense pain she was feeling showing on her face. With barely a grimace she stubbed her cigarette out into the ashtray on her desk and folded her hands under her chin. Sitting there in the darkness and shadows of her scantily-lit office she replayed what Alucard had told her in her head and tried to piece together what he was trying to really say. If an army of creatures strong enough to nearly kill Alucard were coming Hellsing needed to be ready.


	7. Chapter 7: Clash on the Mountain

_Well here is Chapter 7 of __**Key through the Soul**_**.**_ The reviews to the last chapter were surprisingly positive and I attribute that to the 'poll' I asked about the Princesses of Darkness. While I will not bring any of them into my story for a why since I don't want to rush things I can say that the 5__th__ Princess has already been chosen. I'm not going to tell you who she is until she makes an appearance but I will say she makes sense as a Princess of Darkness. As a bit of good news I have received permission for __**26-Lord-Pain**__ to use his concepts and for that I thank him. One of the reasons I have delayed the release of this chapter for so long is because of the amount of time I spent building up the history, powers, abilities, and names of the major enemy force Ichigo and company will face. Remember that this is before Xehanort started experimenting with creating artificial heartless (as told in canon) so there won't be the dozens of varieties of heartless as seen in the game. Even without the heartless having such large numbers they still will show up every now and then._

_On another note I've gotten a couple of reviews and PM's about what pairing Ichigo will have. I will say that as of this moment he has none. There is no one that I plan to pair him up with. I think his quest to find the man who destroyed his world would take precedence over any romantic attachments he may develop. That is not to say he won't be attracted to any woman, it is just that Ichigo has priorities and believes that until he catches this person he does not have time to form attachments._

_Wow...I received so many different suggestions for the Princesses of Darkness that I actually found myself overwhelmed by the sheer number of different people you people came up with! I had only expected many 6-7 different choices but I received over 30 total! Thanks a bunch everyone who gave suggestions and I would like to say that the polls are still open for anyone that wants to add a potential princess or two._

_**The Zogg – **__Thank you for all your suggestions! I have been going through them._

**_Lukenhaft - _**_No I did not but happy (late) birthday!  
_

_**Uber Prinny Lord –**__ Since you were hoping for some interactions between Ichigo and Aqua/Terra here you go! Actually I had this chapter planned out 2-3 chapters ago so it's just a happy coincidence. As for your question about Yen Sid and Mickey they will be in this story but remember this is roughly 1-2 years before the beginning of Birth By Sleep. Mickey still has not taken his Mark of Mastery and is therefore not roaming around yet. _

_**Drunkenlullabies90 – **__As I mentioned in Chapter 5 Kisuke Urahara used the hogyoku to access the Royal Realm. He could have taken it out of Rukia at any time but the risks were normally too great. With the heartless and the destruction of his world he had to weigh everyone against Rukia and chose the obvious choice._

_**Ultima-Owner – **__Hellsing Ultimate most likely._

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – **__That is a good question. With everything he has said and done in the company of others is he really responsible?_

* * *

...

* * *

As the sun peaked over the mountains surrounding the Land of Departure it struggled to pierce through the clouds threatening to blanket the sky with a dreary gray palette. The denizens of the world seemed to anticipate the incoming weather and refused to head outside except for matters of importance. That was why Ichigo sat alone in the castle gardens, a place usually full of children and the adults watching them. Taking a bite of the bagel he had managed to grab from the kitchen he studied the statues carved delicately out of the hedges. Ichigo saw that they were nothing like the ones his father had shown him in the magazine shoved in his face. The ones he could see seemed to show a warrior in full armor with a shield and sword while another depicted a woman in robes with a long staff raised overhead.

Ichigo took another bite and focused his thoughts back on the matter at hand. Ignoring the gathering clouds he thought back on what Xehanort has mentioned to him yesterday about the dark keyblade bearer. As much as Ichigo wanted to think the destruction of Karakura was personal he knew that this person didn't even care that Ichigo was there. If this person really was from the Realm of Darkness then it was up to Ichigo to stop him. Since the people of the Realm of Light can't go there themselves it was his duty, his purpose, to stop this man before he ruined the lives of other worlds. The only problem was how he was supposed to do that. He had idea of how to use his keyblade or anything else about being a wielder aside from destroying heartless.

"_If I could get of this world where would I even start searching?"_ he mused as the distant roll of thunder echoed through the surrounding area, _"I have no idea where this guy went after Karakura or where he even came from and even if I could find him what would happen if I do? If this guy is as strong as Xehanort says he is then there is little chance I will actually be able to beat him. Damn it, this is frustrating."_

Holding his hand in front of his chest, Ichigo concentrated and soon enough his keyblade, Lost Memory, appeared. Squeezing the hilt he turned it over in his hands, hoping some sort of inspiration would come to him about what to do. Kisuke and that Renji guy had said zanpakuto could communicate and had names. Ichigo hoped the same thing was for keyblades but it appeared to not be case. As he examined the dark silver keyblade he noticed that the overcast sky made the metal seem even darker and almost absorb the light reflecting off it.

Releasing his keyblade back to where it went when he wasn't using it, Ichigo rubbed his temple, "Damn it. I don't have any answers."

"Hello."

Ichigo looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw two people walking towards him. One of them was a girl around his age, possibly a year or two older than him, with blue eyes and hair that fell down to roughly the base of her neck. She had on what appeared to be a black and blue sleeveless shirt with two pink belts that intersected over her chest. Placed over this were strips of blue cloth that hung over her hips. On her arms were strapless white bell-sleeves that were tied tightly around her upper arms, leaving the skin on her shoulders bare. She wore thigh-eye black stocking with silver, armored boots with a wing on the outer edge of each one.

The other person was a man that seemed to be in his early to mid-twenties. Unlike the girl's blue hair his was a more natural brown that had several messy spikes on top with bangs framing his face. His attire was also a lot more modest than the girl's with a tight black shirt and a pair of traditional grey and tan hakama that were held up with a pair of red straps that intersected over his shoulders.

As they got closer to him the girl smiled, "You must be Ichigo. I'm Aqua and this is Terra."

Ichigo nodded but found something bothering him, "No offense, but how did you know where to find me?"

Terra chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "That's actually a funny story. I was walking to get some breakfast when I overheard one of the castle's staff complaining about an orange-haired hooligan, her exact words, lounging around in the garden."

"_Even here people think I'm some kind of punk,"_ Ichigo groaned as he remembered all the people that assumed he dyed his hair and was some sort of thug. While he had quickly beaten that notion out of the actual street punks that didn't stop the whispers from the adults, "I didn't cause any trouble, did I?"

"Nah," Terra waved off his concern, "People around here are kind of laid back when he comes to complaining. Well, except for Master Eraqus."

"Terra," Aqua growled at her fellow student. After Terra quickly apologized she turned to Ichigo, her tone surprising somber, "I heard about what happened to you world. Is it true?"

Ichigo looked away from her towards the ground, "Yeah."

"Those damned heartless!" Terra punched a fist into an empty palm. His hatred of the heartless was well known among those that knew the young man.

"I just…" Unlike Terra, Aqua seemed to struggle getting the words she wanted to say out. On one hand she wanted to comfort Ichigo for what had to be the worst thing to ever happen to him. On the other hand she really couldn't relate to having the entire world she grew up on being devoured by the darkness. After a moment she decided to just come out with it, "I know that this doesn't mean much but I'm really sorry about Karakura."

"You don't need to apologize," Ichigo told her, causing Aqua to feel insignificantly better, "You didn't help destroy my world. I have a good idea who the bastard that did it is. I will find him someday and make him pay for it."

Ichigo's anger was understandable but Aqua's next question tried to deflect some of it, "What was your world like?"

"It was actually pretty normal I guess," Ichigo said with remarkable ease. He had expected talking about Karakura to be a painful experience but it was actually a relief to talk to someone else about it. Yoruichi didn't really count because while she seemed the same on the outside he could tell she was feeling the loss quite deeply and, if he had to guess, it was most likely Kisuke she was missing.

"I'm afraid to say normal is relative," Terra sat down next to him with a grunt, "While I haven't been to other worlds yet myself I've heard of places where people flying is considered normal."

Terra raised a good point and Ichigo took a moment before continuing, "Nothing really ever happened in Karakura. I don't think anyone knew about the keyblade or heartless and magic was something that existed only in fairy tales."

"No heartless?" Terra asked in shock. Eraqus had said some worlds heartless where a rare sight and only appeared every few decades but a world without heartless entirely? That was simply unbelievable, "Are you sure? I mean some worlds I've heard about only see heartless once or twice a century."

"I'm pretty sure," Ichigo trailed off. He knew the heartless had been to Karakura before. The scroll Kisuke showed him was proof enough that they were more then just legends of the past. Thinking quickly and trying to change the subject he asked, "So you know where I'm from. What about you two?"

Terra grinned, "Born and raised on the Land of Departure. Sure it might get a little boring every now and then but it does have its charms."

"I don't know where I'm from," Aqua said after a moment, the subject apparently one that had been brought up before, "I don't remember anything about where I'm from. Master Eraqus said my mother brought me here when I was only a couple of years ago. He says she loved me enough to sacrifice herself so that I could live."

Ichigo grimaced. He had suspected that the Realm of Light was a brighter, safer place than the Realm of Darkness but it seemed that even here tragedy and death existed, "My mother was the same."

Aqua and Terra looked at him skeptically, "What do you mean?"

"When I was younger she sacrificed herself to save my life," he continued, omitting out exactly why she did so, "So I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes I think that if I hadn't acted so stupidly she would still be alive but then I realize it was because she loved me that she gave up her life to save mine."

"So Ichigo I heard you have a keyblade," Terra said nervously. The conversation was starting to get really awkward for him and he hoped to move on to something not as depressing, "Mind if I see it?"

Shrugging, Ichigo stood up and reached out with his hand. Sure enough as soon as he called for his keyblade, Lost Memory appeared once again in his hand. By their expressions Aqua and Terra were impressed with it but Ichigo didn't see the big deal.

"You should come train with us Ichigo," Terra said.

Aqua gave Terra an angry glare, "Master Eraqus won't like this Terra."

Terra's body tensed up before relaxing, "He said that he wouldn't teach Ichigo. He never said that we couldn't let him train with us. Ichigo already has a keyblade. Wouldn't it be smart to help him learn about all it can do?"

"I suppose," Aqua sighed. Truthfully she wanted to see it in action as well. Eraqus had told them a keyblade was not to be used for mundane tasks. As the sound of thunder rumbling drew closer she shrugged, "If Master Eraqus finds out about this I'm blaming you."

"Fine with me," Terra turned and began walking out of the gardens and to the training grounds. As much as he didn't like practicing in the rain he really had no choice, "Come on Ichigo. I'll show you the way."

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 7: Clash on the Thundering Mountain**

When Eraqus noticed his students heading towards where Ichigo Kurosaki was, he knew that Terra would more than likely ask him to train with them. Aqua would offer a meager argument against the idea but she would go along with it anyway. She may have a healthy fear of him but she was loyal to Terra as her first, and best, friend. He may have told them repeatedly that he would not teach Ichigo as a student but he never said anything about them teaching him. While it was a loophole he didn't like to exploit Eraqus felt that given the current situation and Ichigo's obvious strengths it would probably be beneficial for him to at least learn something about the keyblade he wields.

"You seem troubled Eraqus. Is something bothering you?"

"Hmm?" Eraqus ignored Xehanort's question and turned towards the castle grounds. The faint rumbling in the distance had drawn closer and thick, billowing dark clouds threatened to open up on the Land of Departure at any minute, "It looks like it is going to rain soon."

"Since when has something like a little rain ever bothered you?" Xehanort asked amused.

Eraqus turned to his friend; "I will need to adjust the day's training regiment for my students."

The Land of Departures was one of the few realms that did not have seasons. Most beings assumed it was because of its location in the Realm Between but despite what the reason may be the temperature on the world never varied by more then twenty to thirty degrees, staying at a nice, moderate temperature all year long. Throughout most of the year the sky was sunny but on a rare occasion the heavens seemed to open up and release a torrential downpour upon the world that could last for as long as a week. Before the rise of science and technology people who visited the Land of Departure associated the storms with bad omens or attacks from the darkness. Eraqus and Xehanort's master, a man of reason, had explained this myth to them in the hopes of helping them understand the heart.

Xehanort nodded but wisely decided to change the subject, "I don't suppose you've heard the rumors coming from across the Realm of Light."

"To be honest I've only heard bits and pieces. My duties as steward of this world prevents me from keeping in constant touch with our brethren."

"Well then, let me cut directly to the chase. Karakura wasn't the only world hit by the heartless," Xehanort raised a hand to stop Eraqus from saying anything, "Let me finish. While Karakura was not the only world attacked, it was the only one where the heartless appeared en masse. I received word from several sources across the Realm of Light claiming several dozen to a couple hundred heartless appeared on their worlds. The local forces were enough to repel the assaults and while none of the more powerful heartless were seen, it could be an indication of something else."

Eraqus let Xehanort's words sink in, "You think this rogue keyblade bearer could be up to something?"

"That is most likely what is happening," Xehanort said without preamble as the hall lit up as lightning forked across the sky, "In all likelihood this dark bearer was focused on Karakura and may have simply caused the heartless to attack these other worlds to throw us off track."

"A sacrificial force," Eraqus grumbled. This would make counterattacking or predicting this dark bearer's moves that much more difficult, "What could be this person's motive? What could he gain from attacking a world of the Realm of Darkness? What was there that was so valuable that he risked giving up his secrecy and coming out into the open?"

The fact that this dark bearer was hidden below the radar until the destruction of Karakura gave Eraqus a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. Someone like that could be very dangerous if not caught in time but how could he, or any other master, catch someone who can hide for potentially years at a time in a place where they could not travel? It was a terrifying quandary.

"This does not bode well for the future," Eraqus muttered. The loud crash of thunder halted the conversation and the corridor lit up momentarily as an arc of lightning forked across the sky, "Whether the heartless are being directed a being or not the issue is, as you have said many times, their increasing numbers. I have given it some thought and the only solution to this dilemma is to begin training more keyblade bearers. While our current number of masters is sufficient for a time of peace we are in danger if the heartless are about to attack. We will need to begin searching for those willing and able to take up the duty of a keyblade bearer as soon as possible."

"Increasing the number of keyblade bearers is a fine idea Eraqus but I believe you are refusing to look at the bigger issue," Xehanort folded his arms behind his back, his left hand firmly clasping his right wrist. He waited until they were out of earshot of anyone before continuing, "The problem we have is that you are one of two masters that have trained students in nearly a decade. Out of all those that wield the sacred weapon only Terra and Aqua represent the next generation of protectors of the Realm of Light. Yen Sid's pupil might become a master but I don't see the King giving up his duties to travel across the worlds."

While Xehanort spoke the truth it still left a bad taste in Eraqus's mouth. He knew it was because of the long-lasting peace that the number of keyblade bearers had not increased in over one hundred years, not since the massive heartless attack that nearly destroyed three worlds before being repelled. While there were masters that would find and teach students, it wasn't nearly enough to keep up their numbers. Fifty years ago there were double the number of masters but now…now they would be lucky if there were any masters left in another fifty years.

Even as a younger man Eraqus had seen this problem. His master had dismissed it as paranoid nonsense and told him to let the issue go. In one of the rare moments of defiance Eraqus had approached Xehanort. He, out of everyone, had recognized the issue for what it was and told Eraqus that the only way to fix things was to let the other masters know about it, no matter how much they would rather not.

So Eraqus had begun corresponding with other masters and even fellow apprentices across the Realm of Light. He didn't express his concerns at first. He needed to gain their trust before doing so. After several years of back and forth writing he finally wrote to them about the problem and was surprised to find a lot of them open to his suggestions. While several of the more…stubborn masters politely dismissed his worries he was relieved when some of the others promised to find and train at least two students in their lives. What surprised him the most was when Yen Sid has responded to his letter with the argument that the number of masters taking on students was not decreasing but that the number of people worthy enough to wield the keyblade was.

"Have any of the other masters expressed a desire to find a student in the near future?"

"Master Edea has found a very promising child. She says she found a girl that could be very powerful but she wants to wait another year before taking her on as an apprentice."

Xehanort was well acquainted with Edea. She was one of the few masters that he would proudly admit outstripped both his skill and versatility in magic. The number of spells she could weave together in the space of a second compounded with the sheer power of her magic put nearly everything he did to shame. In the single time he had fought alongside her he witnessed her chain spells together in such a way that if he had attempted the same thing he would have collapsed breathless on the ground. To see a Protect and Shell cast simultaneously alongside Firaga was inspiring.

As a seeker he was privy to information about Edea that most masters did not know. He knew that the keyblade she had wielded for over twenty years, Sorceress's Succession, enabled her to cast the extremely powerful and rare spell Meltdown. He had seen that spell used only a single time and even after a decade of attempts he cannot cast it. The complexity along with the amount of mana needed to cast it precludes him from ever using it. That might be for the better though. He had seen the effects of Meltdown and that brought a grimace of disgust to his face even after all these years.

"Edea has always been more of the more progressive masters," Xehanort nodded, "But to be honest I thought Jecht would have picked a student a long time ago."

Eraqus cringed, "A capable and powerful master he may be, the problem lies with his exuberant personality. I don't think a student would be able to stand his method of teaching for more than a week. Jecht has repeated said he is looking for an apprentice but he doesn't want to teach, in his own words, 'a little crybaby who can't handle a few dozen heartless.'"

Xehanort understood where the annoyance in his friend's voice was coming from. He and Jecht had never seen eye-to-eye when it came to being a keyblade master. While Eraqus took his role as a guardian of the light seriously, Jecht tended to be laid-back and lazy. That was not to say Jecht was a bad master. The man was perhaps one of the more physically gifted masters in decades. Back during an extremely rare appearance of a Darkside on one of the distant worlds over a decade ago Jecht managed to defeat it with only a single half-hearted swing of his keyblade. Eraqus was just about ready to change his opinion of him but that was quickly put to an end when, that night, Jecht decided to get drunk in celebration.

"I believe there is one person you are forgetting Eraqus," Xehanort turned his gaze upon his friend, "Young Ichigo already has a keyblade and simply needs to learn the proper way to use it as well as channel mana for spells."

Eraqus shook his head, "You already know that I will not teach the boy about the keyblade. As much as I realize that there is nothing wrong with Ichigo using the keyblade, the fact he comes from the Realm of Darkness worries me. If that was not enough it would be unfair to Terra and Aqua to suddenly take on another student. Perhaps if you-"

"You know that I am unable to take a student with my duties as a seeker. Traveling from world to world while stopping at the slightest hint of darkness wouldn't be a productive teaching environment for even the most stubborn of pupils. Perhaps if I were ten years younger my answer might have been different. In any case I am much too old and world-weary to pass on our ways."

Eraqus look pensive. As the pitter-patter of rain began falling outside he thought of an idea, "I may not be able to teach Ichigo but there are other masters that might be willing to if the situation was explained properly. The problem is that most of them would be repulsed by Ichigo's origins even if the boy himself has a desire to protect those around him as strong as any keyblade master. Sometimes I feel that we should abandon some of our more archaic traditions."

"That is a valid concern," Xehanort agreed and came to a halt. Looking out upon the stormy landscape he huffed and said, "I am sure at least one of them can be convinced to come and test young Ichigo. Ones origin should not matter when it comes to defending the Realm of Light. That is a lesson most of us have forgotten once we become masters."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Hmm," Xehanort closed his eyes and tilted his head, "I'm afraid that none come to mind at this time. Once I leave to continue my duties as a seeker I will try and make time to visit some of them. I am sure I can convince at least one of them to come and see young Ichigo for themselves."

Eraqus clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Before you go I would like you to come and witness Terra and Aqua's training."

"In this weather?" Xehanort nodded towards the cold, pouring rain outside, "I would be delighted to but there is a question I must ask."

As the two masters began making their way to the training grounds Eraqus arched an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Xehanort's amber eyes were filled with mirth, "Have you taught your students how to use their mana to repel water from their bodies?"

The small smile on Eraqus's face was answer enough, "You know I never got around to it."

"Well then," Xehanort chuckled, "This is looking up to be a most interesting event."

* * *

...

* * *

The Grand Archives in the Land of Departure contained one of the largest and most extensive collections of knowledge in the entire Realm of Light. It had several wings that were spread over four floors and had at the most recent count over fifty thousands books, tomes, scrolls, and journals. For hundreds of years it had been the repository for every piece of information and knowledge about the mysteries of the heart and the keyblade as well as dozens of other subjects. It was also the only place, excluding the Athenaeum of Light in Radiant Gardens, where the histories of hundreds of worlds stood on shelves, bound in leather by the keyblade masters who had written them.

There was only a single entrance to the archives and it was behind a door that could only be opened by either a keyblade or permission for the steward of the Land of Departure. When Yoruichi had approached Eraqus the previous evening, curious about a place where she could learn more about the heartless and the Realm of Light in general, the keyblade master seemed reluctant to allow her access to the archives. There was enough valuable information held within that if someone with dark intentions were to gain access to the archives it could spell disaster for the realm. Eraqus had expressed these concerns about her use of the knowledge within and Yoruichi, contrary to her normally laid-back personality, had nodded in agreement. Instead of trying to convince him why she should be allowed into the archives she had told him of her time as a captain of the Seireitei, minus some confidential details of course. Eventually Eraqus had agreed to allow her access but only to the single wing that contained a history of the Realm of Light and nowhere else.

Yoruichi yawned and propped her hand onto her hand. Shifting her tired eyes towards the closest window she saw the inky darkness of the night giving way to a pale grey. Hearing the first sounds of thunder rolling in the distance she figured it was going to be a miserable day. She had spent the entire night reading everything she could about the heartless and their connection with the keyblade but there was nothing substantial. If there was one thing Kisuke had ingrained into her after a century of exile it was to never take things at face value. Every single book by a keyblade master had reiterated the same thing over and over again. They kept saying the heartless are formed from the darkness in the hearts of complete beings and the stronger the heart the more powerful the heartless. The problem was nobody could definitely say where or when the first heartless appeared. Anyone that did mention the origins of the heartless always attributed it to the origin of everything.

"This is bothersome," she muttered and leaned her head down on the wooden table. As her eyes began to drift closed the loud boom of thunder quickly woke her back up. Grumbling and rubbing her eyes, she couldn't understand how something like that bothers her so much. It must have been a side effect of being a cat for all those years. As she looked at the note she had taken, it dawned on her about how insignificant her abilities as a shinigami were once she left Karakura. She had felt the power radiating from Eraqus and Xehanort. Both men were easily at the level of elite captains, perhaps even higher.

"_This wouldn't be so troublesome if these keyblade masters didn't simply restate the same thing over and over again or attempt to base their history off of mythological or philosophical origins. To attempt to place the origin of the heartless and the keyblade as well as whatever Kingdom Hearts is as the beginning of time itself is simply ignoring what is around them."_

She had expected to find something about the keyblade to help Ichigo with but so far it had been a fruitless night. Twenty-seven books come and gone and not one of them had useful information she could use. While most of them did go into how they used their keyblade for different styles of combat it was stated time and time again that keyblade bearers are physically and mentally unable to copy another wielder's style. The only useful information she had found was about casting magic spells using the keyblade but even that information was sketchy.

Sighing and rubbing her eyes, Yoruichi was just about to cal it quits when she noticed a single book left unread. The book, titled _**In Pursuit of the Light**__ by Ferdinand Genitivi_, was only about a hundred pages thick but looked to be one of the oldest books in the archives. Gingerly opening it and carefully leafing through the pages, Yoruichi stopped upon a particular passage and began reading:

…_**I turned to my companion only to find her just as lost as I was, for we had assumed to know what heartless were but found ourselves lost for words. I suppose it was about that time, sitting at that table across from the old witch, that I truly began to question exactly what composed a heartless as well as their origins. It is common fact that they crave the hearts of complete beings such as myself and are drawn to those whose hearts have dabbled in the darkness, but what does that actually mean? Are they actually drawn to the heart or perhaps they are enticed by the darkness within it. Throughout my journey I have seen heartless attacks. They always seemed to prefer going after those who have lived past their adolescence over the children. That observation opened my eyes to something no one else had seen before and, after bidding farewell to my friends in Radiant Gardens, I departed along the Lanes Between in pursuit of the origins of the heartless. The day I…**_

Yoruichi would have jumped with joy at what she found if she wasn't already on the verge of falling asleep. Scanning through the pages and skipping over details of Genitivi's conversations with various figures of power in several worlds, she found something she had not expected and quickly began reading every word.

"…_**But where is the other half?" That single question from the king in yellow left me puzzled. When I asked him what he was referring to, he explained that if the heartless embody the darkness then what embodies the light? My first answer were the keyblade bearers, for they are the people that safeguard the realms from the darkness that threatens to consume everything. The king listened patiently to my answer before pointing out that heartless came from complete beings that had fallen into the darkness. What left me baffled and confused about my purpose was when the king asked what happens to those that fall into the light, for it was the question to which I had no answer.**_

_**The king and I talked throughout the night about these beings of the light. If the heartless run on instinct, lack emotion, and crave power then the opposite must be true of those beings of the light. These creatures have to thrive on reason, emotions and intellect. The only question we were unable to answer was where these creatures were. If these beings of the light existed then why haven't we encountered them before? Perhaps they thrive in the Realm of Darkness and were the antithesis of the heartless. Whatever the case may be I am frightened by the existence of these creatures. For if they function on reasoning and emotions then we are in terrible danger. Something that would simply be an annoyance to a complete being would drive one of these creatures into a murderous rage. That, combined with their intelligence, would make them a terrifying foe. While the dangers of the heartless are shrouded in shadow the dangers from the light are held right in front of us and we are oblivious to whatever they may be. I only hope that these creatures, the Soulless the king called them, do not exist for they…**_

Yoruichi put down the book and closed her eyes in thought. While Genitivi gave some more information about the heartless they all the other books she read what really stood out was the mention of these Soulless. What bothered her was why no one, not even Eraqus, had mentioned these beings to her. Was it because the book was so old that Eraqus had not read it or because all of Genitivi's information was based off a single conversation? She would need to read more about these things but for now she needed to get some sleep. Staying up all night was not good for her complexion.

Taking a look at the antiquated clock ticking endlessly on the nearby wall, Yoruichi wondered if she could get some breakfast before catching some shuteye. The quiet rumbling from her stomach had come at shorter and shorter intervals throughout the night and she was sure if she didn't placate it soon it would probably start eating itself. Standing up and stretching her back she headed towards the entrance of the archives when she picked up something on the periphery of her senses.

Her amber eyes focused on the window overlooking the expansive grounds beyond the castle walls. Hurrying over and looking outside, she tried to pinpoint what it was she had felt but to no avail. Whatever, or whoever, it was did not intend for anyone finding out they were here and were doing a damn good job of hiding themselves. Unwilling to give up, especially if it involved what Yoruichi knew it did, she closed her eyes and focused her energy towards expanding her senses. As her body became enveloped with a very faint aura of darkness her eyes shot back open as she came to realize someone who could use the power of darkness was heading towards where she knew Ichigo was.

"Damn," she cursed and raced out of the archives. As she ran through the halls towards Ichigo she tried to push her natural speed to the maximum without resorting to using shunpo. The people living in the Land of Departure tended to take the small wisp of darkness that appeared through every use of the technique badly and Eraqus had politely asked her to refrain from using it while in the castle. Cursing once again she tried to push herself even more. She needed to get to Ichigo quickly.

* * *

...

* * *

Yen Sid stood on the highest balcony in his tower staring at the stars and constellations above. His blue conical sorcerer's hat, decorated with yellow stars and crescent moons, had been placed gently on the edge of the balcony next to him. Running a hand through his graying beard he tried to make sense of what they were telling him.

He had known about the destruction of Karakura from the constellations but it was Eraqus's correspondence about his experiences on the world that made the soon to be retired keyblade master worried. On one hand Yen Sid thought Eraqus was being a reckless fool for heading into the Realm of Darkness with only his armor to protect him against the corruption of his heart but on the other hand it was most likely a pragmatic move. In his entire lifetime not one world had fallen to the darkness and so Yen Sid could not say with absolute certainty what had happened on Karakura. Only Eraqus could and his friend was being surprisingly tight-lipped about most of the details. One thing he did say was that the seeker Xehanort had provided evidence for a rogue master being the culprit behind the horrendous act.

Yen Sid narrowed his gave and swiftly turned to head back into his chambers. It was a good thing he had ordered his apprentice to continue his training on the far grounds surrounding his tower. The ancient master was sure he would have picked up on his great displeasure at the news. Yen Sid knew each and every one of the twenty-seven keyblade masters in the Realm of Light and not one of them was suspicious enough to draw his attention as the culprit. There were some that acted more aggressively or subtlety in combating the darkness but not a single one of them would dare destroy an entire world. What purpose would that achieve?

That was a puzzle Yen Sid was having trouble solving. The Realm of Darkness was one of the few places where his sight did not penetrate more a few worlds and even then he tried to refrain from gazing upon those he could. The pain, suffering, and darkness that naturally enveloped those worlds had left him with a feeling of nausea and helplessness multiple times because no matter what he wanted he could not travel to those worlds to help them. It was suicidal to even try. The lack of evidence implicating any of the masters only left one conclusion in Yen Sid's mind – this rogue keyblade master had to have come from the Realm of Darkness.

"_I'm missing something here,_" Yen Sid made his way towards a glowing blue sphere hovering softly over a tripod stand. This artifact was perhaps the most important, and dangerous, piece in his collection. Only a few of his fellow masters knew of its true purpose and even less knew how to use it. Even his apprentice knew the dangers of the artifact and wisely refrained from stepping within several feet of it. This was the same apprentice that had foolishly thought to use Yen Sid's magic to make his life easier.

The master placed his hands on either side of the sphere and gently began flowing his mana through it. It had taken him years to perfect the exact amount of mana needed to accomplish what he was doing and even then it had nearly cost him his life on more then a few occasions as the device tried to extract both his mana and life force together. As the sphere came to life he leaned closer until his face was awash with various shades of light and dark. Inside the blue holographic surface of the sphere were two hemispheres of light and dark that flowed like water. The light took up the bottom half and the darkness the top. At the boundary between the two diametrically opposite forces tendrils of light and darkness would fight for dominance over each other before quickly returning back to the status quo.

For decades the device had shown the balance between light and darkness in both realms. Several times in the past he had seen the darkness beginning to encroach on the light half of the sphere. Each time that had happened a large appearance of heartless on several worlds would soon occur within several days to a week. Fortunately he would inform the other masters of his findings and they would manage to fight off the heartless before any damage could be done.

"This cannot be possible…"

Yen Sid could not believe what he was seeing in the sphere. As he channeled more mana into it, his long blue robes with sky blue lining began billowing from the wind he was causing. There was no explanation for what he was seeing in the sphere and as much as he wanted it to be a mistake the sphere had never been wrong. Slowly but surely the portion of the sphere swallowed by the darkness was being consumed by the light. It was not enough for the average person to notice but due to his mana powering the device Yen Sid could feel the miniscule increases in the volume bathed by the light.

He stopped channeling his mana through the sphere and watched as the light and darkness disappearing. While outwardly stoic Yen Sid's mind was going into overdrive over the impossibilities of what he had seen and the problems this would have for the future. Not once had the balance been shifted in favor of the light and while most beings would think of that as a good thing, the ancient master knew that the light could be just as bad as the darkness if not properly channeled.

"I need to leave at once."

Yen Sid left his chambers and glided down the magical staircase towards the entrance to his tower. Storming outside he passed by his apprentice who was rightfully concerned with his master's mood.

"I shall be leaving for the Land of Departure," he bluntly told his apprentice, "I am trusting you to watch over my tower until my return. That includes my personal chambers. I expect there will be no mishaps unlike the last time I left you in charge."

King Mickey, otherwise known as Mickey Mouse to his colleagues, nodded but said nothing. He could tell something was greatly troubling his master's heart and he didn't want to add to his burden. Mickey watched his master vanish from his world and turned back to his training. In only a couple of years he would take his Mark of Mastery and become a fully-fledged master. Holding his Star Seeker keyblade out he began channeling his mana through it.

There was still much training to be done.

* * *

...

* * *

Ichigo watched Terra and Aqua spar with a calculating look. Even though they were practicing with wooden swords their speed and strength wasn't something to laugh at. They were probably at the level he was when he was a substitute shinigami. They also had something he was lacking and didn't realize it until his sound defeat by those two shinigami – a fighting style.

Sure he had power and speed and that had worked out well for him for a short while. None of the hollows that came to Karakura Town were too powerful with the only difficulty coming from the menos grande that appeared when Uryu stupidly used the hollow bait. He had foolishly thought he had an easy time because he was strong but being defeated in the blink of an eye opened him mind to just how naïve he had been. It wasn't that he was strong it was that his opponents were too _weak_ to pose any challenge. He had become overconfident and cocky, thinking he could take on the world with ease. He couldn't have been any more arrogant. In hindsight he could have, should have, trained with his powers. Perhaps if he had done so he might have been able to defeat Renji before the other shinigami interfered.

Terra and Aqua's swords met with a hollow clank. They stood there in the center of the training grounds, perfectly balanced, before Terra's superior strength started to make Aqua's arms buckle backwards. Pressing his advantage Terra smirked, "I thought you knew getting into a contest of strength with me is useless?"

"I did," she grunted back, her entire being focused on holding back Terra's power, "I just needed to get you in the right spot."

"What?"

Pushing back and away from Terra, Aqua held her sword behind her body as she became enveloped in a faint white aura of light. As Terra recognized what she was doing and attempted to stop her, Aqua swung her arm over her shoulder and shouted, "Thunder!"

The lowest level of lightning magic arced from Aqua's wooden sword and hit Terra in the chest. Although the spell was normally quite powerful due to its paralytic effects, Aqua had purposely lowered the power to the point where it would just inconvenience Terra for a couple of seconds. This was a spar not a battle.

"Damn that hurts," Terra spat as he managed to push past the pain the spell inflicted on him. He must have been hit by the spell dozens of times already and any immunity he had hoped he would develop was sorely lacking, "Next time give me a warning before you go and cast something like that."

"And take away an obvious advantage?" she joked and placed her hands on her hips, "Perhaps if you trained your magic it wouldn't be as bad."

Terra couldn't argue with that. Eraqus had told him many times that practicing magic increases both your proficiency and power while also boosting your defense against it. Terra knew he sucked at magic but he was trying to improve. Obviously it wasn't enough, "Your magic is getting stronger Aqua."

"Thanks," she smiled and cast Cure on him, eliminating any residual pain he might be feeling, "Master Eraqus is hoping I could start on some of the higher-level spells soon."

Nodding at Aqua, Terra looked to the side and saw Ichigo standing there. It was odd, he thought with a frown. While Ichigo had agreed to come train with them he had yet to say a word or even walk onto the training grounds. After just a moment of thinking Terra made up his mind on what he wanted to do, "Hey Ichigo!"

Ichigo looked dispassionately at Terra, "What do you want?"

"I just realized that I invited you to train with us but you haven't had a chance to do so."

"You haven't asked."

"Well I am now," Terra argued. Pointing over his shoulder to Aqua he said, "Why don't you go fight against Aqua?"

"Fine," Ichigo sighed. When he agreed to come with them he hadn't actually wanted to train. He just wanted to see how someone with a keyblade fought. To say he was surprised by Aqua's magic was an understatement. Perhaps there was more to being a keyblade bearer then just swinging the keyblade around. Taking his hands out of his pockets he asked Terra, "Do you want me to summon my keyblade?"

"What? No!" Terra laughed, "The keyblade will easily slice through these flimsy wooden swords like they were paper."

"It's that sharp?" Ichigo had a new respect for his keyblade. Sure he knew it could kill a heartless with a single good hit but he had thought it was because the keyblade was a weakness of the heartless. Finding out that it was perhaps the sharpest weapon made it appear much more powerful and deadly.

"It has to do with the strength of the heart or something. Master Eraqus explained it to us a while ago but I've honestly forgotten most of the technical detailed. Aqua would know more about it. She absorbs knowledge like a book."

Aqua rolled her eyes at Terra's lack of details, "The keyblade becomes more powerful as the heart of the one who wields it grows. Someone with a weak or conflicted heart would not be able to cut anything with the keyblade while a person like Master Eraqus could slice through steel and even mithril with enough effort."

"Interesting…" Ichigo reached for the wooden sword Terra was holding out for him and gave it a few practice swings. While the weapon itself was light and would probably not stand up to real combat it was a good match for him. After weeks of carrying around a zanpakuto nearly the height of his body, fighting with a normal sword seemed easy. Taking up a position opposite of Aqua he slightly bent his knees and held the sword in front of his body with both hands, "Ready when you are."

"Alright then," Aqua took a deep breath. She didn't know how strong Ichigo was and would need to test his limits before deciding on what to do. Holding her sword with one hand she shifted her feet, "I'll try to go easy on you."

Without hesitation Aqua shot towards Ichigo, her feet seeming to glide over the ground. Although she might have been moving at a speed normal eyes could not follow Ichigo was not a normal person. Even as she drew closer, her sword was already coming around to hit his body. A resounding clang echoed through the area as Ichigo's sword managed to block Aqua's attack. The blue haired teen's eyes widened noticeably before a friendly smile took its place.

"Impressive. I did not think your reflexes were quick enough to stop my attack."

Ichigo would have responded but Aqua had already begun to move. Pushing off the ground with her feet and placing a hand on his shoulder for support, she leapt over his body for another attack. Even before she landed back on the ground she twisted her body while keeping her arms close to her chest. As she spun she decided to aim for Ichigo's right shoulder. His style of fighting may involve both arms but she was sure that he was not ambidextrous. If she could temporarily prevent him from using his right arm his ability to counter her attacks would go down tremendously.

She was confident in her surprise attack up to the point when Ichigo's upper body half-turned around and blocked her attack.

Aqua landed on the ground and put all her strength into pressing her attack but found Ichigo's strength, even with one arm, to be formidable. He wasn't at the level of Terra but still, to block her attack at that speed was surprising. Instead of dodging like he should have done Ichigo let go of his wooden sword with his left hand for increased maneuverability. It didn't take her long before realizing her actions were pointless and she jumped back, sliding along the ground a couple of feet in the process.

"Wow Ichigo," she said coming to a stop, "You must have been trained by someone from your world to be this powerful."

Ichigo thought back to the hell Kisuke put him through as well as Rukia's stupid training games, "Not really…"

While Ichigo and Aqua sparred, Terra was watching Ichigo's movements intently. Just by the way he could block and counter Aqua's strikes meant that he had a lot more speed and agility then himself. That is not to say Terra is defenseless when fighting Aqua, it just takes most of his concentration to avoid her attacks, which leaves him open to her counterattacks. Although Ichigo was fast, his speed wasn't quite at the level of Aqua's, which explained why she was able to run circles around him. Ichigo might not be able to catch or keep up with her but he could block her attacks.

What intrigued Terra was the amount of strength Ichigo displayed. Terra had seen pure physical strength and magic augmented strength and he could say with near certainty that Ichigo was not using magic. It wasn't on his level but Terra assumed that was because of the large age gap between them. Ichigo may be strong but Terra has had nearly a year of constant training under a master. If Ichigo were to get stronger over time he would need to increase his training. If beings from the Realm of Darkness are this strong without using darkness then he will need all the power he could get.

Aqua leapt back from her latest clash with Ichigo and floated gently to the ground, her winged shoes managing to not disturb the loose dirt, "I think it is safe to say you are quite experienced Ichigo."

Ichigo wiped some sweat from his face, "Why haven't you used magic or anything like it?"

Relaxing her stance, Aqua placed her free hand on her hip, "Because that wouldn't be fair to you. As strong and fast as you may be I don't think you have any experience fighting someone who can chain multiple spells of different affinities in a row."

"What do you mean?"

Aqua sighed, "You remember the Thunder spell I cast on Terra earlier?" When he gave a quick nod she continued, "There are four basic types of elemental spells: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and Aero. While there are others they aren't important. I'm sure you can block or dodge one of those four with ease but if I were to cast three, four or even five in a row without delay could you still claim to do that? Perhaps if you wait until you have some more experience I'll be glad to include magic in our spars. Well done by the way."

Ichigo quickly found an arm wrapped around his neck. Terra had a wide grin on his face, "That was some mighty fine fighting Ichigo. You are quite strong, not as strong as me but still very impressive. If you're up to it, mind giving me a shot?"

"I don't know," Ichigo shrugged. The clouds were starting to get darker and the thunder louder.

Terra saw where he was looking and nodded, "Perhaps you have a point. Aqua does tend to not like the rain. It's weird really, what with her name and-OUCH!"

While Terra had been talking Aqua had stalked over and kicked him in the shin with the pain made much worse by the fact her shoes were made of metal. As he hopped around on his good leg Aqua turned to Ichigo, "Do you mind getting my practice sword Ichigo? I left it back there when I felt this idiot needed a lesson."

"Sure, sure," Ichigo said.

As he walked over to the dropped weapon he noticed subtle changes in the shadows around him. They were beginning to become longer, more fluid with the edges softly churning as if in a storm. Glancing back he noticed that Terra and Aqua had seen the changes in the shadows and were looking tense. On high alert but unwilling to give whoever it was a reason to believe he knew they were here he bent down to pick up the sword when it happened. Nearly thirty feet above the ground a corridor of darkness opened up.

"What the hell is that?" Terra nervously grit his teeth. He knew exactly what it was but he wanted to be wrong.

"How the…" Aqua found herself at a loss for words. Master Eraqus had never prepared her for facing something that could travel in the corridors of darkness. At that moment none of her training mattered. Only those with darkness staining their hearts could use the corridors and someone like that would have no reservations about killing any of them.

"Well now, I've found you at last."

Two hands emerged out of the swirling darkness and gripped the edge of the portal as if it were solid. With a sudden show of force the hands pulled the rest of the person out of the darkness and into the air. As the man fell through the air, arms outstretched, he flipped twice before safely landing on his feet. The man stood there for a moment without turning around, allowing them to get a better look. He was covered head to foot in red and orange armor with grey puffy pants and golden metal boots. With the red scarf wrapped tightly around his neck and head it was difficult to see the man's gray skin.

"So…" the man growled. As he slowly picked himself up from where he was crouching he turned and shot out an arm, "You are to be my chosen opponent? Let us begin!"

The silence that followed his declaration of battle could have been cut with a butter knife. Instead of pointing at any one of them, he was instead facing an entirely empty area of the training grounds. The man didn't even seem to notice for several seconds but eventually his arm fell back to his side.

"Hmm…" the man relaxed his stance and raised a hand to his face. Scratching his cheek he muttered, "I could have sworn this was the right area. Perhaps I took a wrong turn at Agrabah…"

Terra didn't know what to make of the man or why he was here. Hesitantly he said, "Hello?"

The man turned to Terra and gazed at him with narrowed glowing white eyes. Spinning around the rest of his best the man reached into his armor for something and Terra took a step back in surprise. He could tell just by looking at the man that he was powerful and without a weapon all he had to rely on was magic, which paled in comparison to Aqua's skill.

Instead of a weapon the man pulled out a piece of folded paper. Unfolding it with a quick flick of his wrist the man looked back at Terra and muttered, "This can't be right. You're supposed to have orange hair not brown and you're much too tall. And where's your perpetual scowl? You look nothing like the description! Don't tell me I wasted all this time for nothing!"

"Are you talking about Ichigo-OUCH!" Terra gingerly rubbed his arm where Aqua has punched him. Damn it she could throw a punch when she wanted to.

"Are you an idiot?" she seethed and for once Terra didn't have anything to say, "He arrived in a corridor of darkness and you're offering to help him?"

"You know where Ichigo Kurosaki is?" the man asked with excitement in his voice. In nearly an instant he was standing in front of Terra with both hands on his shoulders. The sheer height difference between the two of them made the entire scene that much more awkward, "If you have seen Ichigo Kurosaki you must tell me! I've been looking for him and would be grateful if you could help me find him."

The entire time this was happening Ichigo had luckily been just out of he strange man's line of sight. He could feel the power of darkness on the man and it frankly made him a little wary of why he wanted to find him but he couldn't tell what the man would do to Aqua or Terra if they kept their mouths shut. Swallowing the nervousness he felt and steadying his voice he said, "I'm right behind you."

The man whipped his head around and his glowing eyes widened upon seeing Ichigo, "There you are Ichigo Kurosaki. You must be a ninja if you could hide yourself from my heightened senses."

Ichigo's patience was reaching its limit. He didn't know whether the man was this insane or was just acting like it. Either way he needed to find out why he was here, "Who the hell are you?"

"Who am I?" the man shouted, clearly insulted at Ichigo's question, "Who am I you say? Hmm…I guess I forgot all about my introduction. If you will just excuse me for a moment."

As the man walked to the other side of the training grounds, whistling an annoying song the entire time, Ichigo looked at Terra and Aqua with a confused expression. Terra, clearly as lost as Ichigo was, gave him a shrug while Aqua stared at the man with a blank expression. Apparently she was unable to actually tell if what she was seeing was actually happening.

"Alright then!" the man shouted and turned back towards them. Stomping his feet on the ground a few times he adopted a kabuki pose, "For eons I have fought and bled…searched have I the darkest worlds of Light and Darkness for worthy opponents! Today my quest brings me here, to you Ichigo Kurosaki! Today you will die to me! Gilgamesh! The mightiest swordsman in all the realms!"

For the first time since the destruction of Karakura Ichigo felt a return of some normality to his life. Gilgamesh was just too much like his father to take seriously, "Look…I don't know who you are but I'm in no mode for this."

"You don't know who I am?" Gilgamesh shouted and pointed at Ichigo, "I just told you who I was in my fabulous introduction! Weren't you paying attention?"

Gilgamesh raised his right arm parallel to his body and a moment later the space just beyond his hand was enveloped in a thick miasma of darkness. As he began pulling a blade out of the darkness he scolded Ichigo, "Just because you are rude and ignored me does not mean I shall go easy on you!"

Ichigo got a good look at the blade Gilgamesh had pulled out of the darkness. It seemed to be composed of flowing water with multiple hooks jutting off from the end, "Fight or die! The plot demands a decision Ichigo Kurosaki!"

"Fine then," Ichigo growled. Summoning Lost Memory into his hand he took a step back and held the keyblade in front of his body. Despite Gilgamesh's bizarre behavior Ichigo could tell he was extraordinarily strong and the power of darkness just made his stronger. As the first drops of rain began falling Ichigo shouted, "I guess I'll just have defeat you!"

* * *

...

* * *

It was common knowledge that the spaces between the worlds were filled with an all-devouring darkness. The old saying was that the worlds were shining pearls of light interspaced in a void of absolute darkness. In a desolate part of the Realm of Light far away from any worlds the purple and black void was lit up as a small pinprick of light suddenly appeared. This small ball of light suddenly increased in intensity, both driving out the darkness in the surrounding void and allowing a figure to materialize around it.

The figure took the shape of an adult woman but there the similarities ended for while a human is composed of flesh and blood she was made of pure light. Her skin glowed with a faint orange light and had clothing made out of various hues of yellow and white were wrapped around her body much like armor.

As the pressure from the light began to abate the darkness tried to rush back in. The figure watched this with emotionless attachment before raising a finger and forming a spherical barrier of orange light around her body, stopping the darkness from getting within ten feet of her. Lowering her arm back down she opened her eyes, exposing pure white glowing lights to the void. She looked at the darkness attempting to extinguish the pure light that composed her body with extreme hatred.

Suddenly she grabbed her head with one hand as the total collection of sadness from across the Realm of Light hit her. She was the soulless that represented the embodiment of sadness so she naturally felt each and every being's sorrow, desperation, and depression. While some beings affected her more then others, simply being near a being with a sorrowful past was enough to drive her into a murderous frenzy.

"No! I will not help them until my task is complete!"

She willingly buried the murderous urge to help the beings in order to complete her task. The soulless that represented the emotions all beings felt, her brothers and sisters, had given her the honored task of scouting out the Realm of Light and reporting on what she found. Out of all of them she was the only one that could even temporarily hold back their urges to help beings. It was for that reason she was chosen and she would not fail. As much as she wanted to help all the sorrowful souls living on all those worlds she could not. Something had allowed them to free themselves from the eternal seal and she would find out.

Only then, when her task is complete, will she be able to free all life from the sadness they must feel.

She began flying through the void, looking for anything in particular that might have caused their freedom, when she was hit with an exceptional burst of sadness. She grit her teeth as crystalline tears began flowing down her glowing yellow cheeks. The sheer amount of sorrow, suffering and shame in this one person's body was enough to nearly drive her into a frenzy and if that wasn't enough she could sense they were from the Realm of Darkness. Why was there a being of the darkness in the realm of light? That was absurd! They must be the reason why she and her fellow soulless had escaped their prison.

"They must be the reason why!"

Filled with purpose she reached behind her back and gripped the light. Suddenly two pairs of wings composed completely of light erupted from her back. After a few experimental flaps she began soaring through the void between the worlds towards the source of such intense sadness. She would locate this person, find out all they know, and then bathe them in her pure and benevolent light. She would remove the sadness they felt from existence.

She will not fail her mission for she was the soulless of sadness and the Seraphim of Remorse, Uriel.


	8. Chapter 8: A Desperate Assault

_Here is chapter 8 of __**Key through the Soul**__. I have something really important to tell you my faithful readers. It was brought to my attention that I made a slight error in the number of Princesses of Darkness. Accordingly to canon (AKA Xehanort), the χ-blade was broken into 7 pieces of light and 13 pieces of darkness with those of the light becoming the seven princesses of heart. I made the incorrect assumption that there were only seven princesses of darkness but it turns out that I can play with that and allow up to 13. So the poll is going to be open for a while. I have 9 positions to fill and not every one of them will take place on a world. I hate giving spoilers but some (by that I mean at least one) will not be found on her home world. Who that person is will be a surprise so make sure to keep reading my story._

_Gilgamesh…writing his personality and interactions with Ichigo is a lot of fun. In canon he is perhaps one of the most powerful bosses in Final Fantasy history but it is his tendency to run away from a losing fight that gets him his bad rap. In his fight against Ichigo there will be none of that. He is fighting someone who is, quite frankly, nowhere near as experienced as he is and will thus show all he has._

_I think this was my first major fight scene in all of my stories. Of course I had other fights throughout my writing by none of them were as graphic or in depth as the one found here. I must have rewritten various segments of it several times. I really wanted to write more with this chapter but I realized after finishing it up that anything else would have been padding and that would have taken away from what I was trying to describe. I do try to write somewhere between 10,000 – 12,000 words a chapter but if everything I want to put in the chapter only comes out to about 9,000 words then I guess that's it. _

**__****_P.S. Check out my Profile over the next few days as I begin to update it with a lot of information about this story. This will include background information on the various Keyblade Masters, their keyblade designs, the Soulless, the Princesses of Darkness and other fun/interesting stuf_**f. Don't forget to read and review!  


_Thank you to all the people who reviewed the last chapter: Uber Prinny Lord, Anonimus, GuestWithIdeas, EvanderAdvent, Undying Soul98, Raging Berseker, Luchenhaft, drunkenlullabies90, the Zogg, ultima-owner, Bunny153539, Dragonlord001, and Antex-The Legendary Zoroark._

_Uber Prinny Lord – Thank you for your lengthy review. I like to think I got the various characters' personalities down with, of course, some minor changes due to them no longer being in separate worlds. On to your question about Uriel. As of this point in the story there are two possible origins for her (she is a woman not a man). It is either from a game (I'm not going to tell you which one) or mythology. I'll let you mull it over until I give you the answer…eventually._

_Anonimus – So you want to know who the other 23 keyblade masters are? I've mentioned or shown Yen Sid, Eraqus, Xehanort, Jecht and Edea so really there are only 22 other masters. I'll introduce them as they are needed. If I have them all show up at once it will really take away a lot of the surprise._

_GuestWithIdeas – Your review was so good that I posted my response to your question about the 13 pieces of darkness in the Chapter 8 introduction above. It was an oversight on my part that you caught so good job. The other part of your review brings up the old question of reintroducing Bleach characters back into my story. I regret to inform you that the chance of more then one or two (if that) is very low at this moment Ideas come and go and if I ever decide bringing back a character would be beneficial I will do so but right now that chance is near zero._

_Luckenhaft – You pretty much got it. Uriel is the type of being that would think killing someone would stop them from being sad. She is right…in a very horrifying and disturbing way. _

_Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – Light and Darkness are two sides of the same coin. If you read the passage (the one that Yoruichi read in Chapter 7) by Genetivi, you will see that the question of what happens when a being succumbs to the Light instead of the Darkness is put forth. Thank you for the_ review.

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Eraqus and Xehanort were just about to pass through front foyer of the castle and out into the pouring rain when they detected a familiar presence quickly closing in on them. The steward of the world sighed, "I thought I warned her not to use the power of darkness. The denizens do not understand and will panic at even the smallest amount of darkness."

"You know Yoruichi better then I do Eraqus," Xehanort said to his friend, "Do you think she would just disregard your order if there was not a good reason to do so?"

"Hmm," Eraqus mulled over what he wanted to say. Yoruichi might have a mischievous streak befitting that of a cat but she was also quite serious when the time came for it. In the end he felt it was better for her to reach them and explain her actions.

He didn't have to wait long. Within a minute of detecting her presence Yoruichi appeared before them, little wisps of darkness drifting off into the nothingness from around her feet. From her ragged breath and bags under her eyes it was clear she had stayed up all night and was not in the best of shape.

"Yoruichi," Eraqus's tone was brisk. Yoruichi may have a good reason for disregarding his rule but he was not about to go easy on her, "What is the meaning of this?"

She took a couple of breaths before answering, "It's Ichigo. Someone's going after him!"

"What?" Eraqus said shocked before something else dawned on him, "He's with Terra and Aqua!"

While both Yoruichi and Eraqus were coming to the same conclusion it was Xehanort who voiced it, "They must be going after the apprentices! It's the dark keyblade bearer. He's made his first move and caught us completely off guard. I suggest-"

A shockwave of darkness rippled through the castle. The lights dimmed momentarily and dust was unsettled from the ceiling and window ledges. Eraqus ran over to the gateway leading out of the castle and saw black flames flickering from above the training ground where he knew his students to be. In milliseconds of seeing the darkness magic he turned to the nearest guard, "Send word through the castle that there is a being from the Realm of Darkness on the world. I want the castle guards to be on full alert!"

The soldier snapped off a salute and quickly ran off to inform the rest of the guards. Staring out into the rain Eraqus pursed his lips before speaking, "Yoruichi will accompany me to the training ground to drive off this being. Xehanort, I want you to take control of the castle guards. In case we are not enough to stop this being you will need to be here to hold him off."

"I understand Eraqus," Xehanort nodded and looked at Yoruichi, "I do not intend to be rude but are you sure Yoruichi will be useful in case the worst comes to pass? She clearly appears to be exhausted and might simply be a hindrance in a fight even with her control over the darkness."

"You think a little lack of sleep will stop me?" Yoruichi joked with a cheshire-like smile, "I've been on missions that required me to remain awake for days on end. This is nothing."

Eraqus mulled over his words before turning too Xehanort, "I trust Yoruichi enough to know that she would never do anything to put Ichigo into harms way. As longer as we do nothing to threaten his safety there is nothing to worry about."

"Although I can't say the same thing for whoever is out there," Yoruichi growled. She could feel the darkness waiting just below the surface and knew, without a doubt, that Ichigo was no match for them.

"Understood," Xehanort seemed to agree but his tone betrayed him. It was obvious the elderly master didn't exactly trust Yoruichi but she really didn't care. As long as he didn't do anything to threaten him she was fine. Ichigo was the last reminder of Karakura and Kisuke had given up his life to make sure Ichigo survived. It would be testament to spitting on the graves of her friends if she let Ichigo die.

"Let's go Yoruichi."

With a nod Yoruichi followed Eraqus out into the pouring rain. In their haste to save their respective students Eraqus had forgotten to cast the spell to repel water from their bodies but that was insignificant at the moment. Yoruichi's amber eyes initially had difficulty piercing through the torrential downpour but soon enough she could make out more and more details in the distance. What disturbed her the most was the appearance of what seemed to be black fire at the training grounds. If she were to believe her eyes the heat radiating from it was so intense that the rain simply could not exist near it. Foregoing caution she focusing the power of darkness into her legs to increase her speed and took off ahead of Eraqus.

The keyblade master narrowed his eyes slightly at the display but said nothing. He knew that Yoruichi, despite her use of darkness, would not do anything to harm his students and was content with simply ignoring her usage for the time being.

Back at the castle Xehanort watched his friend and Yoruichi vanish into the rain. After a couple of moments he turned to the only remaining guard, "Go inform your commander that I will be meeting with him as soon as possible."

"Yes Master Xehanort. Where shall I inform him the meeting shall take place?"

"Right here," Xehanort responded, "This is the most direct path from the training grounds. If this being of darkness approaches the castle it shall be here that we make our stand. Let your captain know to also inform the denizens of the world to head to secure locations. I am not sure how bad this might turn out. It is better to be safe then sorry when it comes to the darkness."

As the soldier ran off to inform his superior Xehanort couldn't help but let loose a sadistic smirk, but only for a moment. Quickly composing his features before anyone accidently saw he walked forward until he was standing mere inches from the pouring rain. With his hands folded behind his back he took a deep breath. He could not be anymore satisfied with how things were falling into place one piece at a time.

"Although I must admit that young Ichigo has come much farther than I would have guessed. This is most intriguing."

Xehanort could count the number of times he had truly been surprised in his long life on both hands. He had given Ichigo the keychain that night in Karakura on a whim. He saw the sheer amount of potential in the lad and wanted to see what he would do when given a chance to grab power. He didn't actually expect Ichigo to summon a keyblade of his own within a day, If Xehanort could feel regret for anything, being unable to witness Ichigo summon his keyblade would be on the top of his list.

What surprised him the most was Ichigo not only surviving the destruction of his world but that Eraqus was the one to save him. Not even he could have predicted his friend, a staunch supporter of the Light, to willingly and without fear head into the Realm of Darkness to visit a single world. How did Eraqus even know the world was collapsing into the darkness in the first place? He knew the man didn't have the ability to feel the destruction of a world from great distances so the only logical conclusion would be that either Aqua or Terra possesses that rare and valuable ability.

"I suppose that is a matter for another time."

What bothered Xehanort was the information he had learned concerning the _χ_-blade. If that creature's word were to be taken at face value then the fabled weapon actually existed and was not just a myth people told their children to help them sleep better at night. He had always suspected it to exist for Kingdom Hearts was known to be real so why not the fabled keyblade? The only question was what it all meant. The Athenaeum of Light had but a single text on the legendary weapon, which just so happened to be in his possession at the moment. Xehanort thought back on what the book said on how equality brings about the formation of the _χ_-blade. The question was what equality meant.

"I do not believe it will be an easy puzzle."

Xehanort may have the answer right in front of him but it meant nothing if he couldn't understand it. It was annoying to have all the pieces to a puzzle only to find yourself blind. What does the book mean by equality? Equality could mean many things including balance, fairness, and evenness. Any of those could be the correct answer and each one would need to be done in a different matter. With so many ways to interpret the data Xehanort vowed to not make a move until he was absolutely certain about what it mean. He had spent years just searching for information about the Keyblade War and the _χ_-blade. He could afford to wait a few more weeks to verify his theories.

A second pulse of darkness echoed out from where Ichigo was. Xehanort closed his eyes and concentrated his senses. He let out a satisfied smile at what he felt. Ichigo must actually be pressing Gilgamesh. That was a pleasing development.

"Very impressive," he muttered and stroked his chin. Ichigo certainly had talent to be able to fight someone like Gilgamesh with barely any training and power. Talent will only get Ichigo so far. The question is whether he could survive long enough for Eraqus and Yoruichi to come to his rescue, "You arrived a bit too soon for my plans though."

Xehanort had contacted Gilgamesh soon after leaving Karakura and before departing for the Land of Departure. He had contingencies for the small likelihood Ichigo would survive the fall of his world. Convincing Gilgamesh to go after Ichigo was surprisingly easy. All he had to hint was that Ichigo was a keyblade bearer from the Realm of Darkness and soon enough Gilgamesh was ironing out the details of his contract. It was actually quite disturbing to find such a powerful and deadly warrior with centuries of experience giddy and excited.

In the end it did not matter if Gilgamesh won or not, his plans would still proceed regardless of the outcome. If Gilgamesh killed Ichigo then the only person who was an eyewitness to his presence on Karakura would be gone as well as any possible threat he could potentially be in the future. Ichigo was a factor in his plans that Xehanort had the least amount of confidence on controlling. His birth in the Realm of Darkness made him extremely tolerant to the darkness and its corrosive power. On the other hand if Ichigo managed to win against Gilgamesh he could be easily led to believe it was the so-called dark keyblade bearer who sent Gilgamesh after him. He would then, of course, do everything possible to bring them to justice. The only bump in the road, so to say, was Yoruichi. Even his most conservative plans for Ichigo's survival did not take into account someone else escaping from Karakura and certainly not someone who could use the power of darkness to the extent Yoruichi could.

Aside from the remarkable resemblance between Yoruichi and himself, Xehanort knew that if anyone could put the pieces together about his involvement in Karakura it would be that woman. She was not only strong and powerful but also quite intelligent. If he wasn't constantly at the top of his game he was certain she would pick up the subtle shifts in his tone that betrayed his words.

"So many choices to make," he muttered as he stared out into the rain, "But what to do first?"

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 8: A Desperate Assault**

A cold wind blew through the plateau the training ground rested upon. With his hands first gripping Lost Memory's handle, Ichigo stared across at Gilgamesh who had not yet made a move to attack him even after declaring he was here to kill him. It was all very confusing to him.

"Wait a second," Aqua's voice sounded from near the entrance to the training grounds, "Did you just say your name was Gilgamesh?"

The swordsman seemed annoyed by the question. Turning his gaze towards her he said, "Weren't you paying attention during my introduction speech? Is everyone in this story hard of hearing?"

Knowing how powerful Gilgamesh was Aqua quickly apologized, "I didn't mean to insult you! I was just wondering why you're nothing like the legendary warrior I've read about."

Gilgamesh almost tripped over his feet at that declaration. It was one thing for someone to forget his name but an entirely different matter if they didn't think he was the warrior of legend. He spent decades, centuries even, building up that reputation through arduous and deadly battles against the most powerful beings across the two realms and he was not about to let this keyblade master wannabe just ruin his image.

"What are you blabbing about?" he shouted at her, his arm pointed accusingly at Aqua. This was his honor at stake and he would rather kiss Enkidu than lose his honor, "Do you not see the Genji armor that I am wearing or this blade of renown grasped firmly in my hand? What further proof do you need that I am the legendary swordsman Gilgamesh? Would an epic battle on a bridge make you believe me?"

"It's not that," Terra interjected for Aqua. He didn't know if anything could placate the large warrior so he decided to just go with the truth, "I firmly believe that you are the greatest swordsman in the Realm of Light. We just weren't ready for you to be so…so…"

"So strong? Powerful? Imposing? Handsome?"

Terra sighed, "…immature."

A cloud of depression seemed to come into existence over Gilgamesh. That depression quickly passed as the warrior folded his arms, careful not to stab himself in the process, and huffed, "You children do not have any respect for your elders! I am loath to admit it but most of the stories written about me were done so when I was going through my Goth phase. Everybody was doing it! I don't want to talk about it!"

Turning back to Ichigo he pointed his blade, "Enough expository banter! Time to make things a little more interesting Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Gilgamesh flipped his blade around and stabbed it into the ground. As he began making a series of weird gestures with his hands, he said "I learned this technique from this really stoic person quite some time ago during my travels."

Clapping his hands twice, Gilgamesh finished up his technique with a snap of his fingers. Immediately a wall of black fire began spreading out around the two of them, forcing Terra to pull Aqua back lest she be burned alive by the unholy heat emanating from the demonic fire. Ichigo winced at the unnatural heat wafting off the fire and narrowed his eyes, "What the hell kind of magic is this?"

"This is to make sure that no one interferes with our destined battled Ichigo Kurosaki," Gilgamesh said. As he easily pulled his blade out of the ground Ichigo realized that the pouring rain was somehow being absorbed into the sword, "In order to make sure your party did not make this fight unfair I have temporarily separated them from you. The flames of Amaterasu will burn anything they touch with darkness for an entire day and night. Although…they don't seem to be as impressive as the flames from the man who used them on me. Can you believe he called me annoying? Bah! Enough reminiscing! It is time we have ourselves a glorious fight!"

Gilgamesh charged towards him with his sword held over his shoulder and Ichigo didn't hesitate to do the same. As his sneakers disturbed the growing puddles of water on the ground he swung with Lost Memory. Keyblade met sword in a shower of sparks and the amount of force caused Ichigo to stumble back.

"Good show Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Ichigo avoided the obviously thrown punch and almost missed the follow up stab from the sword. It was only at the last second that he was able to raise his keyblade and divert the weapon away from his heart. The amount of power Gilgamesh had was supernatural. Even swinging his sword with just one arm was enough to overpower him.

"_Something's not right here,"_ Ichigo grit his teeth as he put more strength into his attacks but it seemed as if Gilgamesh wasn't even trying to fight back if the way he was lazily maneuvering around or blocking the strikes from Lost Memory were any indication. Leaping to his right as Gilgamesh swung his sword down, Ichigo attempted to stab forward with his keyblade only to find the swordsman's weapon already parrying it away, _"I knew he was strong and fast but this is impossible!"_

Ichigo needed a moment to think about his next move. As he ducked under a swing from Gilgamesh he jumped back to put some space between them. Glaring at the warrior, who seemed to be waiting for his next move, he realized that the flames of Amaterasu surrounding them was actually evaporating the rain falling before it could reach the ground. That amount of control and heat caused a trickle of nervous sweat to run down his face, _"He's not even trying to fight me. The way he's fighting with only one arm means he's not taking the battle seriously. If he did decide to go all out…that will be too much for me to handle. I need a plan."_

"Are you quite done with the introspection Ichigo Kurosaki?" Gilgamesh asked. Ichigo blinked once and saw Gilgamesh leaning with his elbow on his blade, which was once again stabbed into the ground, "I find thinking during battles to be very distracting. Too many pointless questions and problems that only make your mind and body dull and weak. A battle should be based solely on instinct and lust for blood."

Ichigo warily watched Gilgamesh. The man was too unpredictable, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," Gilgamesh pulled his blade back out and gave it two to three swings through the air, "I was getting bored with our warm up. I can see you have some good moves and the ability to improvise and adjust strategies in the midst of attacking. I'm just waiting for you to stop holding back your power. There is no one here that can get hurt if you do. The fires of Amateresu will prevent anything weaker than them from passing through the flames so why are you still holding back?"

Ichigo wiped the sweat from his face as he realized he was letting his fear control his thoughts. Gilgamesh was strong but after his defeat against Byakuya, who he couldn't even see move, it didn't seem so daunting. Gripping the handle of Lost Memory he put on a face that betrayed how confident he really felt, "I was just waiting for you to stop fooling around. That attitude of yours is starting to get on my nerves."

Instead of getting angry Gilgamesh reared his head back and laughed, "Yes! A battle should not be without its fun. Come then Ichigo Kurosaki! Let us clash blades once more. Behold the power of Brotherhood! The sword that awakens the dreamer!"

Gilgamesh swung Brotherhood through the air and Ichigo suddenly felt something wet trickling down his left arm. Taking a glance at his arm he saw several rivers of blood seeping out from beneath his sleeve by his wrist. As he turned his gaze upwards he saw he somehow obtained a gash on his shoulder without even realizing it.

"What the…"

"Blast it I missed," Gilgamesh whined. He gave Brotherhood a couple of swings before continuing, "I was aiming for your neck but it's still quite hard for me to control."

As Ichigo saw Gilgamesh lift up Brotherhood again he blocked out the pain in his shoulder and moved to the side just as another shockwave passed by him. As it passed him he was able to realize it wasn't actually a shockwave but a dense crescent of water being shot off from Gilgamesh's sword at a high velocity, _"No wonder I couldn't see it the first time. It was moving so fast my eyes couldn't catch up but now that I know what to expect I should be able to avoid it before he has a chance to properly aim."_

"Where are you looking Ichigo Kurosaki?" Gilgamesh's voice said from right behind him, "Do you drop your guard at the earliest convenience?"

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed and spun around, Lost Memory arc through the air with a silver glow. With a loud clang keyblade met sword and a battle over who could overpower the other began. With blood beginning to seep more and more out of his shoulder, staining his shirt and jacket a dark hue, Ichigo began pushing his body to the limit. If he lost here he was fairly sure Gilgamesh would kill him. As the seconds passed Ichigo's effort began to pay off as Gilgamesh was forced to take a step back.

"So this is your actual power?" Gilgamesh grunted as he stopped Ichigo's advance with only his single arm. Almost without warning he pushed back against Ichigo's keyblade with double the strength, forcing the youth backwards along the muddy ground, "Even with such a grievous wound you do not give up. I am glad that you are now taking our fight seriously. I was beginning to despair over the lack of fun. Now that we are both warmed up let's change the beat shall we? Affettuous!"

Gilgamesh kicked out with his knee and Ichigo was forced to jump back to avoid being hit in the chin. Before his feet even touched the ground Gilgamesh was already on him, Brotherhood swinging up from along the ground.

"Damn it!" he cursed and quickly swung Lost Memory to intercept it.

The swings and slashes from Gilgamesh came so quickly and randomly that Ichigo wondered how he lasted this long. Just when he would begin to break down the swordsman's attack pattern Gilgamesh would switch things up and throw him off with a thin tear in his shirt or skin as a result. He couldn't stay on the defensive. If he had any chance of winning he needed to do something drastic.

He waited until Gilgamesh aimed Brotherhood at his lungs to make his move. For the last several times the swordsman used that move Ichigo would use his keyblade to parry it to the left but this time his reaction needed to be different. As the sword approached his body Ichigo shifted his stance and moved forward against the sword. He only had one shot at this. Quickly grabbing Gilgamesh's wrist he shouted as he arced Lost Memory forward and into Gilgamesh's side.

"Not good enough," Gilgamesh easily tore his wrist out of Ichigo's grip and grabbed his shirt and with minimal effort tossed Ichigo straight up into the air.

"Bastard!" Ichigo cursed. Looking down he saw Gilgamesh with his sword tucked behind his legs and the muscles in his arms tensed. As he fell down he swung out with Lost Memory just when he knew Gilgamesh would attempt to do the same. As they clashed once more Ichigo noticed that the hit he managed to land on Gilgamesh accomplished nothing more then leaving a long, jagged cut on his armor. His most powerful strike didn't even manage to pierce his armor.

Ichigo shifted his body around and pushed off Gilgamesh's shoulder with his feet. Landing on the ground, he quickly held his keyblade over his head to prevent Gilgamesh's lightning-fast strike from cutting him in half vertically. As the pressure continued to mount he used his left forearm to brace his keyblade against the power.

"Am I missing something Ichigo Kurosaki?" The pressing exerted doubled and Ichigo was pushed down onto a knee, "Was there a spoiler that I somehow missed? There is no way that someone like you should be pressed by such a miniscule amount of my strength."

"We're not all large armored warriors like you," Ichigo countered and tried pushing off the ground. The power Gilgamesh was exerting was insane! He knew he had gotten stronger since obtaining the keyblade but to find himself so outclassed by a being that wasn't even trying was disheartening. If the pressure didn't let up he was sure his knee would shatter.

"Objection! To counter that insulting, but true, statement I will admit that my strength pales in comparison to a fully realized keyblade master," Gilgamesh removed his sword from Ichigo's keyblade but quickly reached out and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Spinning around once, he released Ichigo into the air. As he sailed through the air Ichigo managed to snag a glimpse of Gilgamesh pointing Brotherhood at him, "Don't miss a beat Ichigo Kurosaki! Grazioso!"

As lightning flashed through the clouds Gilgamesh swung Brotherhood several times, releasing large crescents of water towards his falling body. Ichigo twisted through the air and, using everything he managed to remember from Rukia and Kisuke's training, began using the crescents as stepping-stones. He was fully aware that what he was doing shouldn't be possible but after witnessing magic and heartless Ichigo had quickly discarded such trivial notions. Gilgamesh watched Ichigo use his attacks as an easy and effective way to avoid damage and began clapping.

"Very impressive Ichigo Kurosaki! Using my own attacks to prevent taking damage."

Ichigo landed on the wet ground, his feet splashing up water as he touched down. He ignored Gilgamesh's comment to take the time to glance around what had been the training grounds merely ten minutes ago. Already the intense heat from the flames of Amaterasu had begun melting away the ground nearby and there were several large scars along the ground where Gilgamesh had haphazardly swung his blade.

Something had been bothering Ichigo throughout the fight. Turning back to Gilgamesh he asked, "Who sent you?"

"Eh?"

"I said, who sent you?" Ichigo repeated with slightly narrowed eyes, "You mentioned before that Terra did not match the description you had of me. That means someone who knows what I look like sent you. Now I'm only going to ask you one more time. Who sent you?"

Gilgamesh scratched his cheek before shaking his head, "I'm afraid I can't tell you Ichigo Kurosaki. Who would hire me if it became known that I rat them out? Now then, are you ready for round two? This time we play for keeps!"

It happened so fast that everything was still a blur to Ichigo. Throughout the fight he had slowly but surely gotten used to Gilgamesh's speed and power and could now see what he was going to do much better but what happened boggled his mind. One second Gilgamesh was standing away from him nodding his head as if deep in thought and the next the red armored warrior had a knee planted in Ichigo's stomach. Ichigo gagged as his organs felt like they were shattered and disintegrated. Without giving Ichigo time to contemplate what just happened Gilgamesh grabbed his throat with an armored hand and tossed his body into the air.

Ichigo felt as if he was going to black out. Through blurry eyes he saw his body falling back towards the ground, _"What the…"_

"Here's the twist!"

Gilgamesh spun around and connected his foot with Ichigo's falling body, his metal heel hitting Ichigo squarely on his back. Ichigo screamed in pain before he rocketed across the ground, his body skipping several times before rolling to a stop mere feet from the wall of Amaterasu.

"God…damn…it…" Ichigo managed to sputter out in between gasps of pain. As he desperately fought off the encroaching darkness that was unconsciousness he tried to prop his body up using his violently shaking arms but found his body unresponsive. Gilgamesh had hit him so hard that he was temporarily unable to move his body. Gritting his teeth and remembering all the near-death experiences he had, from getting skewered by Grand Fisher to nearly bleeding to death against Byakuya and Renji, Ichigo clenched his hands into the muddy ground and spat out a large glob of blood mixed with saliva. Turning a bleary eye towards Gilgamesh he was confused when the swordsman was no longer standing there. As his senses picked up impending danger he glanced upwards and saw Gilgamesh descending towards him with Brotherhood poised to skewer him through the chest.

"This is it Ichigo Kurosaki! Time for the grand finale!"

* * *

...

* * *

Terra winced and raised a hand in front of his eyes as he backed up from the wall of black fire. He could honestly say that he had never seen such a powerful magic before. He had thought Aqua was gifted with magic but this made her look as terrible with magic as he was. The scary thing was that he could sense the power of darkness mixed within the burning fire. One simple touch, if it didn't kill him, would be enough to infect his heart with darkness. That drove fear into his mind more then anything else. Gilgamesh was strong enough on his own but the power of darkness made him practically invincible to someone like him.

"_No!"_ Terra shook his head to dispel the fear threatening to swallow his rationality. Ichigo was in there fighting Gilgamesh and even with a keyblade he didn't stand a chance on his own. If the wall of flames wasn't there you could bet Terra would have rushed in to help Ichigo, keyblade or not. The problem was that he needed a plan but he couldn't do it alone.

He turned to Aqua, "You got a plan to help Ichigo?"

When she didn't respond he looked and saw that her eyes were fixated on the crackling black flames, her mouth slightly agape and intense fear evident in her eyes. Worried he grasped her shoulder and shook it in an attempt to break whatever hold the spell had on her, "Aqua!"

She blinked once and shook her head, "Terra? What's going on?"

Terra's eyes were full of concerned, "You don't remember?"

Aqua appeared to be trying to remember, "I remember Gilgamesh snapping his fingers…and then nothing until you shouted my name."

"Yeah," Terra looked at the wall of fire with disdain, "That Gilgamesh guy cast this really powerful and dark spell to prevent us from helping Ichigo. If we don't get in there soon Ichigo might die."

Aqua looked nervously at the black flames. Even from the distance she was standing she could feel the intense heat radiating off. If it was this bad for her then she could only imagine how much Ichigo could be suffering. Rubbing one of her bell-sleeves she asked, "How can we possibly help Ichigo when we're trapped out here? I'm sure you felt the darkness in those flames. If we even get near them it will be almost certain death for us. Worst of all we don't have keyblades. Even if we could somehow get in there to help Ichigo we would be useless."

Terra didn't seem to like that answer as he turned on her, "What has Master Eraqus taught about the keyblade?"

"That it is just a weapon to be used by those who can fight without it," Aqua recited from memory.

"Exactly!" Terra swept an arm towards the flames, "For awhile I thought the keyblade was some magical weapon that would make us powerful and strong but after seeing Gilgamesh's strength, I don't think that way anymore. Ichigo may have the keyblade but he has none of the power, skill, or magic needed to be a master. He needs our help whether we like it or not. If we just sit here and do nothing we don't deserve the keyblade!"

"You're right," Aqua whispered and hugged herself. Her blue eyes were focused on the ground, unable to look at her long time friend. After a few seconds she seemed to come to some sort of realization and asked, "So what's the plan?"

Terra gazed at the top of the wall of fire before speaking, "The only way to get in there to help Ichigo is to go over the top."

"How can we do that? It must be like fifteen feet high."

Terra clapped his bicep; "We do this through sheer physical strength. You'll have to crouch on my arm. I'll use my strength to propel you into the air and over the fire."

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Are you kidding? You're looking at the guy who managed to crack the stone floors in the castle with a stomp of my foot."

"That was you?" Aqua asked before remembering what they needed to do, "Let's do this."

Aqua quickly hopped off the ground and onto Terra's arm as gently as she could. She knew he armored boots could cut open his arm quite easily and was relieved when she didn't hear a wince of pain escape from her friend. Kneeling down on Terra's arm she adjusted her sleeves before holding her hands together, her fingers intertwined.

"Let me know as soon as you're ready to go," Terra said and began mental preparations for what he was about to do.

She nodded and began focusing her mana, "Give me a couple of seconds."

Despite all her skill with magic Aqua was not at the level where she could shoot off advanced spells left and right. While she could do that for simpler spells like Thunder or Blizzard what she was attempting to do was many times more complex and required a great deal of concentration. It would take a lot out of her but if she could land a solid hit on Gilgamesh she was fairly certain it would take down, or at least injure, the legendary warrior and perhaps even save Ichigo.

As her body became enveloped in a white aura she opened her eyes, "Go for it Terra."

"Alley-oop!" With an impressive show of strength Terra bent down before swinging his arm upwards. Just as he reached the top of his ascent Aqua pushed off and soared upwards through the air. As she continued to sail ever higher she twisted around and arched her back while passing barely a foot over the black flames. When she saw what was happening inside her blue eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no…"

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for her. She could see Ichigo lying on the ground while struggling to remain conscious with what looked like blood escaping his lips, his keyblade sinking into the mud inches from his right hand. Above him and descending downwards with his sword poised to stab Ichigo through the heart was Gilgamesh. Thinking quickly she extended two fingers on her right hand and circled her arm around her body. As she did so she couldn't wait for the time when such dramatics would no longer be necessary. Focusing her attention solely on Gilgamesh she pointed her fingers at him and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Thundaga!"

* * *

...

* * *

"This is it Ichigo Kurosaki! Time for the grand finale!"

Gilgamesh flew through the air and was so focused on what was to be the finishing move to a good fight that he let his mind drift away. During the fight he had quickly recognized that Ichigo Kurosaki was neither as fast or as strong as his client had claimed the boy to be. It was almost depressing at how inexperienced the boy was. Sure Ichigo could swing his keyblade around and plan ahead but that does not make up for experience. What he did have, and Gilgamesh respected, was sheer tenacity. The boy just wouldn't give up despite the odds against him. He had fought warriors with ten times Ichigo's strength and power and they had run away at his full strength. Ichigo must have felt that same fear and yet he stayed to fight. Sure the flames of Amaterasu prevented him from escaping but Ichigo never turned his back on him. He could respect that. It was too bad that he had to kill the kid now. Gilgamesh could only imagine what glorious fights and battles he could have against Ichigo in the future!

Suddenly he picked up a flash of light coming from his peripheral vision. That set off a number of warning bells in the swordsman's head. He could feel a large amount of mana being gathered and manipulated, by an amateur from the amount of effort it was taking to do it, and was curious as to who could be interfering in his sacred battle. What was much more important happened not even a second later as he realized in his haste to do such a grand finish to his match with Ichigo Kurosaki he had leapt into the air high enough that his Genji armor was soaking wet. That on its own wasn't terrible but the fact that he recognized the spell to be a high-level lightning spell just made things worse.

"Oh crap…"

That was all Gilgamesh could say before Aqua's Thundaga spell sparked through the air accompanied by a loud bang as it broke the speed of sound. The bolt of lightning hit him right in the middle of the chest with enough force to throw his body off course and away from Ichigo. As he fell to the ground with his limbs twitching every now and then with smoke wafting off his body Aqua landed near Ichigo in a crouch.

She took one look at him and realized just how bad he was. There was a copious amount of blood leaking from his mouth and his ragged cough as he tried to stay awake showed just how injured he was.

"I'm here to help!" she cried. Rushing over to Ichigo Aqua rolled him onto his back. As a trail of blood escaped his lips she began prepared the highest level healing spell she knew. Aqua knew that doing so would be risky so soon after casting Thundaga but Ichigo needed her help and he was the only one that had a keyblade. Forcefully gathering her mana she placed a hand on his chest, "This will only take a second. Cura!"

Over Ichigo's body a swirl of magenta and green leaves appeared in the air. They floated there for a moment before disappearing into his body. The effects were nearly instantaneous. His breathing quickly returned to normal and the jagged cut on his shoulder slowly stitched itself back together. As he continued to heal Ichigo managed to prop himself onto his elbows. As Aqua continued to work her magic he couldn't believe how quickly the pain left his body. It wouldn't surprise him if everybody was more reckless in this place if they could heal broken bones and life-threatening injuries with just a bit of magic. Noticing Gilgamesh's prone and twitching body on the ground he turned to Aqua, "What happened? What are you doing here? Where's Terra?"

Aqua sighed in relief. It seemed as if her Cura spell was able to heal all of Ichigo's injuries. For a moment she was worried it wouldn't work so soon after casting Thundaga, "I managed to you're your life Ichigo. Terra was able to come up with a plan to get me over the flames to help you."

Ichigo turned his gaze aside, "You shouldn't have helped me. Gilgamesh was only here for me. If I had fallen against him you and Terra would have been left alone."

"And you believed him?" she asked aghast.

"I've met people like him before," Ichigo motioned with his head to Gilgamesh, whose body had stopped smoking but still did not get up, "They may act funny and appear insane but they have honor. Gilgamesh wouldn't have come after you guys no matter what. You would have been safer out there."

The slap that followed could be heard halfway to the castle. Ichigo raised his hand to his cheek, where a large, red mark was just starting to appear. Aqua stood there with her arm outstretched and a look of disbelief in her blue eyes, "How dare you say something like that. Just because you don't want us to get involved doesn't mean you can just go off and get killed. I may not know you but both Terra and myself would stand alongside you against a threat like this."

"Aqua…"

"Shut up Ichigo. When I saw you this morning I saw a look in your eyes that saddened me," Aqua's arms dropped to her side. With her fists clenched shut she continued, "You were angry at whoever it was that destroyed your world but mostly you were upset that you couldn't save anyone. You may have put on a strong face but you felt like you needed to atone for what happened to Karakura. How can you do that if you let yourself be killed not a couple of hours later?"

"Aqua…" Ichigo repeated and took a deep breath. Casting his gaze skyward, up and over the flames of Amaterasu, he stared at the rain that continued to fall around the training ground. She was right, he realized with dispassion, he may have been angry with the dark keyblade bearer for destroying his world but mostly he felt a deep sadness in his heart for failing to protect his family and friends, "…Thank you. I needed that."

"Bravo."

Aqua and Terra looked and saw Gilgamesh sitting on the ground clapping at them. Despite the obvious power in Aqua's Thundaga he didn't seem to be injured in the slightest. In fact he looked positively happy, "That was an award winning performance Ichigo Kurosaki but I'm getting the feeling you are concerned as to how I am all fine and dandy. It's quite simple. Your friend here, the cheater, may have the ability to cast such high level magic but none of the skill."

"Cheater?" Aqua picked up that word from Gilgamesh's speech.

"Yes," Gilgamesh pointed an arm accusingly at them, "How dare you cheat Ichigo Kurosaki! This fight was supposed to be mano a mano. A clash between two great warriors. There was to be no outside interference in our duel of honor and yet you so brazenly brought this woman, no offense miss, into our conflict. Where is your honor Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Gilgamesh seemed to storm around for a moment before sighing frustratingly, "I suppose if you want to go two on one I should at least increase the tempo. Fine then Ichigo Kurosaki, I will accept this midgame substitution! Time to ante up!"

With a huff Gilgamesh raised Brotherhood over his head and soon the blade was surrounded by a miasma of darkness. As the darkness continued to increase it seemed to be absorbed into the blade, changing the pale blue water pattern to a dark purple. Gilgamesh's eyes drifted between Aqua and Ichigo before focusing on Aqua.

Ichigo knew what was coming and dove towards Aqua, "Get down!"

"Change up the beat!" Gilgamesh shouted and swung Brotherhood into the ground. Unlike the previous times the swordsman released the attack where a crescent of high pressure water would be released from the blade, this time a literal wave of darkness exploded out along the ground. It was only Ichigo's quick thinking that prevented Aqua from getting him by the attack.

"What was that?" Aqua asked as she followed the trail of destruction. The attack had gouged deeply into the ground and continued until it hit the black flames surrounding them.

Ichigo reached over and picked up Lost Memory. That attack was much more powerful then the ones he had used earlier in the battle and that meant Gilgamesh was getting serious. If he couldn't beat him when he wasn't trying what hope did he have of winning now?

"I have an idea."

Without taking his eyes off Gilgamesh he asked, "How much time you need?"

As if reading his mind she stood up and also continued staring at Gilgamesh, "If Thundaga couldn't work I'm going have to use something a bit more unique. A minute at the most."

Ichigo bit his lip, "I can maybe get thirty seconds out of him but I'll try to go for an entire minute."

His mind made up Ichigo took several steps towards Gilgamesh. He needed to distract the swordsman long enough for Aqua to do what she needed to do. Pointing Lost Memory at the warrior he said, "Are you ready for round two?"

"Your friend seems to be plotting against me," Gilgamesh waved towards Aqua, whose body was covered in a pure white aura, "But that does not bother me. You are bold to swallow your pride and call for help against a superior opponent. I want to see what you can come up with when the chips are down and the deck stacked against you. Now let us fight anew Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Ichigo had learned from fighting Gilgamesh that the best thing to do was to not try and block or parry the swordsman's attack but dodge around them. Gilgamesh may be fast and strong but Ichigo realized that most of his countering requires his opponent to have attacked him first so as Gilgamesh raced towards him, the darkness already coalescing on Brotherhood, he simply stepped out of the way.

"What the hell?" Gilgamesh continued to run past Ichigo for several feet before skidding to a stop. He adopted a thinking pose as he tried to figure out what just happened but quickly shook his head. As he attacked again and found Ichigo no longer blocking his attacks but instead moving out of the way he stopped attack and huffed, "What sorcery is this?"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked stalling for time. If he knew Gilgamesh, and he really wished he didn't, the man would begin arguing his point.

Gilgamesh attacked him again, his speed increasing to the point where he was almost hitting Ichigo on impulse, and yet Ichigo managed to dodge out of the way, "That! That is what's bothering me! Why are you no longer clashing blades with me? This is so…so…so boring!"

Ichigo held Lost Memory parallel to the ground, "In battle only a fool would go head on against a superior opponent. You are both faster and stronger than me. If I want to have any chance of beating you I'll need to improvise."

"Improvise?" Giglamesh sputtered before his speech devolved into what could only be called angrish. After several vulgar sounding words he managed to recover his ability to speak actual words, "That makes no sense. This is a fight not a dance! I hate dancing!"

Ichigo's eyes briefly flickered to Aqua who was standing behind him. After getting a silent queue from her he smirked at Gilgamesh, "You want a battle? Come on then!"

Taking the bait Gilgamesh rushed towards Ichigo, Brotherhood scrapping along the ground. Ichigo changed his stance as the swordsman came before sprinting towards him. As the distance closed from twenty meters to ten and finally five Ichigo bent down and slid along the ground just as Gilgamesh passed over him.

Gilgamesh looked awkwardly at Ichigo as the teen slid between his leg and behind him. He was confused as to why Ichigo would do that up until he noticed Aqua standing in front of him with a lot of mana gathering in her hand. By the force being emitted this was going to hurt a lot.

"…damn it."

Right before coming to help Ichigo Aqua had managed to grab Terra's wooden sword and she was glad for that. It was the only way she was able to cast what she was doing since she did not have a keyblade. It would probably shatter into thousands of pieces afterwards but she only had one shot. As the white aura surrounding her body vanished she held her sword behind her body before arcing it over and around her shoulder. As every last bit of mana left her body she shouted two words that she hoped would end the fight.

"Thundaga Shot!"


	9. Chapter 9: Resolutions and Revelations

_*Here is Chapter 9 of **Key through the Soul**. When I posted Chapter 8 I didn't realize I did it at the same time fanfiction was having a big problem and so I don't know how many people read the entire story or just the new chapter since it only counted each person once until the problem was fixed. Anyway, for those of you who don't already know I have put up a poll on my profile for choosing the remaining Princesses of Darkness. Since there are supposed to be thirteen of them I will be picking the top choices to put into the story. The poll will be open for at least the next few chapters so get voting on the Princesses of Darkness that you want to see!_

_*The soulless will not be showing up for at least a few more chapters. If you have been paying attention Uriel began her journey at the end of Chapter 7, which took place in the late morning. Chapter 8 covered a time span of roughly thirty minutes to an hour (give or take) and Chapter 9 will finish at the end of the day. The Realms of Light and Darkness are huge so I'm working under the assumption that beings, heartless, and soulless cannot simply teleport to different worlds in the blink of an eye._

_*Unlike in the Kingdom Hearts universe in my story the keyblade is unique to the person. For example, the Master Keeper that Eraqus wields in Birth By Sleep would be the only keyblade he has ever wielded. So instead of getting stronger keyblades it is his strength and magic that increased instead._

_*I went through my old stories and I realized that the stories where there is only a single character tend to be better written and overall better to read. I guess it had something to do with not splitting my attention between characters. So if I had to rank the stories I would like to write it would be **Key through the Soul**, then **Warcraft: Lightning Chronicles,** and lastly **Journey of Spirits.**_

_*Stayed tuned to my profile as I finally begin adding information about the various characters in the story. I'm going to start with the keyblade masters already known and go from there. That is everything I wanted to say. Don't forget to read and review!_

* * *

_..._

* * *

Aqua's knees felt weak as she cast the spell. With her mana completely gone it was taking all of her willpower just to remain conscious and even that was beginning to fail. Thundaga Shot was a dangerous spell for someone of her level to cast even with her skill with magic. The amount of mana and focus required for the spell to be cast correctly was enormous even for a keyblade master. Master Eraqus had warned her that she was still a year or two away from casting it without draining all of her mana but Aqua knew nothing else would work against Gilgamesh. She was just glad that she had enough mana to cast it at all, especially after casting Thundaga and Cura within the span of a minute.

As the wooden sword shattered from the strain of the spell Aqua could only hope through half-lidded eyes that it was enough to stop Gilgamesh.

"Hell no!"

Gilgamesh quickly recovered from his initial shock and raised Brotherhood in front of his body just as the spell reached him. Blue and white sparks crackled around the legendary blade as Aqua's Thundaga Shot struggled to overcome the enchantments on the sword and reach its intended target. For a second it seemed as if Gilgamesh's strength would prove greater but gradually minute cracks began to spider web across the blade. Gilgamesh's glowing white eyes looked at the damage with shock.

"Impossible!"

This couldn't be happening. Brotherhood was a blade whose legend extended back hundreds of years. It should be impossible for a spell of such a caliber to even damage it. An average keyblade master's most powerful spell should not be able to do more that crack the blade but this girl's single spell is straining Brotherhood to its limit. As he felt his feet being pushed back along the ground Gilgamesh pushed more darkness through his blade. If defense wasn't going to cut it then he needed to go on the offensive.

Several things happened as Gilgamesh attempted to reflect the spell away from his body. In all his time wielding Brotherhood he had never ran darkness through the legendary blade for more then thirty seconds but now he was approaching the one-minute mark. Even if he was unable to sense it, the legendary blade was not designed for darkness to be forced through it and thus it was beginning to strain against the corrupting power. It came as a great surprise to the swordsman when the cracks on the now purple-tinted blade began glowing with a sickly black light before the entire weapon abruptly shattered into a myriad of pieces, scattering the light in the atmosphere as they rained to the ground.

"Inconceivable!"

Gilgamesh barely had a second to utter a shout of defiance as the Thundaga Shot, without anything to stop it, surged forward and impacted his Genji armor. The armor, composed of mithril and adamantium, lasted barely a fraction of a second against the torrent of lightning before it too failed. In the split second that followed Gilgamesh was enveloped in an explosion of lightning and darkness that seemed to explode out from his body accompanied by a loud bang.

Aqua let out a smile of relief just as her strength completely faded and her upper body began falling towards the ground. When several seconds passed and she did not feel her face hit the ground she opened her eyes and saw that Ichigo had managed to wrap her arm around his neck for support. He looked at her condition with concern evident in his eyes, "Are you alright Aqua?"

"I'm fine," exhaustion tinged her voice but she managed to keep her composure, "Just suffering from mana exhaustion. I should be fine in a couple of minutes."

Ichigo didn't say anything but simply nodded in relief. Turning his head across the battlefield, he briefly looked at the column of smoke rising from where Aqua's spell had hit Gilgamesh before turning his gaze toward the flames of Amaterasu. He could see the black flames beginning to recede and vanish back to wherever Gilgamesh had summoned them from.

"It looks like your spell did it Aqua," he told the exhausted girl as he began walking away from the battlefield, "The flames are vanishing."

On the other side of the flames Terra didn't waste any time. As soon as he could he leapt over whatever remained of the flames of Amaterasu and sprinted across the battlefield towards them. His brown eyes looked over Aqua with worry before turning to Ichigo.

"What happened Ichigo? Your clothes are covered in blood."

Ichigo felt something prickle at the edge of his senses, "Gilgamesh was stronger that I thought. He managed to get several major hits while I couldn't land a scratch on him. It was lucky Aqua was here to save me with her healing magic or I would be dead right now."

"Thank you for the compliment but it's called Cura, not healing magic," Aqua lightly protested by it was obvious she wasn't actually annoyed, "If you're going to be a keyblade master one day you need to know these kinds of things. If you don't then you'll end up like Terra here."

"Hey!"

"I guess you got a point there," Ichigo briefly smiled, much to Terra's dismay, before he felt the prickling again. Frowning, he tried to figure out what it was he felt but came up short, "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Terra had wrapped Aqua's other arm around his neck for support but her reaction suggested she really didn't appreciate it.

"It's just…" Ichigo tried to say what he felt but the words seemed to escape him, "It just feels like something bad is going to happen."

Terra grimaced and readjusted Aqua's arm, "After everything that happened today I'm going to take your word for it. Let's pick up the pace and get back to the castle. Master Eraqus should know what to do."

When Terra made to walk forward and found Ichigo falling behind he turned, "Come on Ichigo. We shouldn't-"

Aqua turned to her right when she heard Terra stop talking and screamed. The reason that Ichigo had stopped walking was because of the long nodachi stabbed clear through the right side of his chest. Ichigo's mouth opened and closed soundlessly several times as he raised a shaking hand to the blood-splattered blade sticking out of his chest. As he gasped for breath the blade was quickly pulled out of his body and he collapsed onto his knees before completely falling onto the ground, a pool of blood already forming beneath his barely breathing body.

Terra turned around with hate in his eyes, "You bastard!"

Even after everything Aqua threw at him Gilgamesh looked a little worse for wear despite the state of his armor. The once immaculate Genji armor was burned and cracked in several spots, his golden boots looked like they had slightly melted and one of the horns on his helm had snapped completely off. But despite all this the tone in Gilgamesh's voice was not one of anger or rage but rather admiration.

"You were good Ichigo Kurosaki but I'm afraid compared to me you were simply a fly," he sadly growled and slashed the nodachi through the air, flicking the blood off the blade in the process. Taking a closer look at Ichigo's body Gilgamesh let out a surprised shock, "You're still alive? What does it take to kill you? Shall I have to blast a hole through your chest or will you simply just get angry? This is so frustrating! It's no fun to attack someone when they are down but a job's a job…"

Despite his reservations Gilgamesh stepped forward to kill Ichigo. Even though he had to kill him he would do so quick and painlessly. It was the least he could do for putting up as much of a fight as he did. Before he could even get close to Ichigo Gilgamesh found his path blocked by an enraged Terra as well as Aqua, who seemed to be barely standing on her feet.

"You're going to have to go through us if you want to get to Ichigo!"

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 9: Resolutions and Revelations**

"You think you two will be enough to stop me?"

Gilgamesh scratched his chin before stabbing his nodachi into the ground, "At your current level neither of you pose any threat to me. Only the girl managed to hurt me and it took nearly everything she had at that. She's not looking too good. I don't think she can cast another of those devastating spells."

"_Damn it he's right,"_ Terra grit his teeth but said nothing. Gilgamesh was right about everything he just said. Despite Ichigo having a keyblade it was Aqua's magic that actually managed to hurt the swordsman Physical strength wouldn't work against someone like Gilgamesh unless he had a keyblade. Terra glanced to Ichigo's body and saw his keyblade, Lost Memory, lying in the rain and sinking into the mud. Usually keyblades are magically bound to their wielders through life and death but if he could somehow use it to save Ichigo they might just live through this.

Gilgamesh must have sensed Terra's intentions because before he could even move the nodachi was swinging through the air. Months of training with Aqua and Master Eraqus helped Terra realize Gilgamesh wasn't aiming to kill but to merely wound and take him out of commission.

"Not so fast!" Terra ducked and leaned to the right, allowing the nodachi to pass harmlessly over his body. When he heard the sound of rocks cracking and shattering he looked over his shoulder and saw a long furrow in the ground.

"You dodged Muramasa? Impressive! Let's see you try going two for two."

Terra wasn't listening to Gilgamesh's self-important speech as he dove towards Ichigo's keyblade. Sliding along the muddy ground his hand clasped the handle of the mystical weapon and Terra could instinctively feel Ichigo's weapon attempt to free itself from his grip.

"_Come on. I need to use you to protect Ichigo from this guy."_

The keyblade seemed to calm down and to his surprise Terra found the hesitation from the weapon disappear. Sighing in relief he stood up and placed himself in front of Aqua and Ichigo, "Aqua, try to heal Ichigo as best you can."

"But-"

"But nothing!" Terra scowled, his eyes not leaving Gilgamesh, "Even if you only have a sliver of mana left use it to cast Cure on Ichigo. I'll deal with this guy. As soon as you can get Ichigo out of here."

"He's going to kill you!" Aqua protested.

"Don't you think I know that?" Terra's head hung down as he finished, "I know I'm nowhere near his level but I need to do something or Ichigo is going to die. Now go! I'll catch up with you when I'm finished here."

Aqua nodded and closed her eyes. She needed to use up every last bit of mana she possessed and while it might harm her to forcibly use what little she had it was better then letting Ichigo die. Taking a deep breath and holding her hands over his wound she surrounded her body in a faint white aura and began casting as powerful a restoration spell as she was able.

"How unusual," Gilgamesh commented towards Terra. He had thought about just rushing past the boy to Ichigo Kurosaki but waved that off without a second thought. Muramasa had completely pierced through Ichigo's right lung and unless the girl was able to cast a Curaga at full power there was nothing she could do for him. What was most interesting to the swordsman was just how this other boy, Terra, could wield Ichigo's keyblade. Weren't the mystical keyblades bound to the hearts of those that wield them? Was there a change in the rules or a meeting that he missed? This was so annoying.

"I'm curious Tora."

"It's Terra!"

Gilgamesh waved him off dismissively, "Whatever. I'm curious as to how you are able to wield Ichigo Kurosaki's keyblade. Was there a revision in the keyblade rulebook that I did not receive? I'll tell you what. You explain to me how you are doing this and I'll let you and your friend go without a scratch."

Terra thought it over for a moment, "What about Ichigo?"

"No can do kid," Gilgamesh shook his head with something that Terra thought could have been disappointment, "Usually I do not attack or kill opponents that cannot fight me. It's dishonorable and shows I pick on the weak and helpless. However in this case I was contracted to kill Ichigo Kurosaki. The reward for doing so is something that you cannot pay or even bribe. So the only way you are going to get me to back off from killing Ichigo Kurosaki is to kill me."

Gilgamesh took a step forward while leaving Muramasa stuck in the ground. He walked until he was only a couple of feet from Terra, his glowing white eyes staring down at him, "Are you able to take a life? Have you even considered it? No, of course you haven't. You're from the Realm of Light and your master probably is still coddling you."

"Shut up!" Terra swung his keyblade out, forcing Gilgamesh to hop back. After taking a deep breath Terra glared at him, "I may not have killed someone before and I hope I never have to but I will stop you. I don't need to kill you to do that. All I need to do is hurt you until you can't move!"

Gilgamesh stared at Terra before reaching over and pulling Muramasa out of the ground, "By your appearance I see you are a samurai Terra. At this point it would be dishonorable of me to not fight you. Since my contract does not specify anything about you I will make sure to leave you alive after defeating you. After all, the best way to learn in life is to experience it first hand."

Terra gripped Ichigo's keyblade with both hands and held the blade in front of his body and leaning slightly to the left. Even though he could feel the power in the mystical weapon he could also sense it actively fighting him whenever he tried to push too much power into it. Terra supposed it had something to do with Ichigo coming from the Realm of Darkness but for the moment having a weapon that wouldn't shatter under Gilgamesh's sword was enough. Taking a deep breath to steady his racing pulse, Terra slid his left foot back before pushing off the ground towards the swordsman.

Gilgamesh had never seen Terra spar and initially assumed his strength was about the same level as Ichigo's, maybe even a little stronger. When he tried to parry Terra's keyblade with only one arm he quickly found his wrist buckling from Terra's power before his entire offense collapsed and he was left wide open.

Terra swung out with the keyblade but before he could hit Gilgamesh's body the warrior used the gauntlet covering his left forearm as a brace against the weapon. Even though it managed to stop Terra's attack from doing any damage to Gilgamesh, the force behind the swing was enough to create cracks all along the Genji armor.

"I see I underestimated your strength," Gilgamesh grabbed the two red straps crisscrossing over Terra's shirt. Spinning around he chucked Terra over his shoulder into the air, "But I do not make the same mistakes twice."

Righting his body while in midflight, Terra managed to land on his feet. As subtlety as he could, he snuck a glance towards Aqua. She seemed to still be trying to stop the bleeding but her movements were getting more desperate. It was obvious she didn't have enough mana left to help heal Ichigo. If Ichigo were to live he needed to defeat Gilgamesh. He was just glad the swordsman hadn't caught on to their plan yet. He just needed to keep his attention off Ichigo.

"You seem to be slightly better than Ichigo Kurosaki," Gilgamesh admitted, "but you still lack in some other categories and I appear to be out of time."

Gilgamesh disappeared in a burst of darkness and Terra quickly, and desperately, held his keyblade over his head with his left hand propping up the blade just as Gilgamesh's Muramasa came crashing down. Unlike when Ichigo attempted this defense earlier in the fight Terra's strength was enough to keep him on his feet but just barely. Even now he could feel his strength slowly failing on him as Gilgamesh continued to push down. With beads of sweat running down his face Terra grit his teeth and pushed all his power into repelling Gilgamesh. As a white aura surrounded his body he let out a shout and staggered Gilgamesh back. It was the perfect opportunity to go on the offensive if something else didn't happen.

Terra let out a hiss of pain and quickly dropped Ichigo's keyblade on the ground. As the mystical weapon vanished in a shower of dark light he looked and saw burn marks on both his fingers and palms.

"Now I understand" Gilgamesh said with a sage-like tone, "You were only able to use Ichigo Kurosaki's keyblade because you were not channeling the light through it. Since Ichigo is from the Realm of Darkness it makes sense that his keyblade, while being a weapon to fight the darkness, would be attuned to the darkness and not the light. Therefore when you channeled the light through it to repel my overhead strike it finally rejected your presence…er…quite violently I see. You should get those burns looked at. I can sense a small amount of darkness stuck in the wounds. I wouldn't want them to get infected or anything."

"You think I'll stop just because of a few burns on my hands?" Despite his attitude the pain from his hands was getting worse and Gilgamesh was right, he could feel a very small amount of darkness in the burns but he couldn't give up. As long as he kept fighting Gilgamesh the swordsman couldn't go after Ichigo.

"It's been a lot of Tora but I have business to take care of," Gilgamesh turned around and saw Aqua trying to drag a barely conscious Ichigo off the training ground. With a disappointed huff Gilgamesh began walking towards them, "You weren't thinking about running away, were you Ichigo Kurosaki? I am very disappointed in your decision."

"Get back here!" Terra balled his hands despite the pain and took off after Gilgamesh. He couldn't let the swordsman reach Ichigo no matter what. As he closed in on him Terra reared back a fist and aimed for where Gilgamesh's kidney should be. It was a cheap shot and any other time he wouldn't even harbor the idea of fighting dirty but it was either this or let Ichigo, and probably Aqua, be killed.

"Terra's sneak attack is ineffective!"

Without even turning around Gilgamesh backhanded him across the face. Terra had only a moment to comprehend what happened before his body flew a few inches off the ground. His body was airborne for only a second before gravity reasserted its dominance and forced his body to hit the ground hard. As he let out a series of hacking coughs Terra heard Gilgamesh speak.

"You've got guts but I've put off my business long enough. I'm not going to kill you but if you keep trying to fight me I won't hesitate to put you done. Now stay on the ground and don't attempt to stop me. Only one life needs to be lost today."

Once he finished lecturing Terra Gilgamesh took off towards Ichigo and Aqua, Muramasa held high over his head. Despite the warning Terra tried to get to his feet but found the entire world spinning and collapsed to his knees not a second after managed to get off the ground. As his mind desperately tried to regain control of his body he blinked and suddenly everything seemed to change.

A moment ago Gilgamesh was within feet of killing Ichigo but just as he swung the nodachi down there was a flash of light and the upper half of the blade went flipping through the air before bouncing along the ground.

"Hmm?" Gilgamesh looked down at Ichigo, whose body was still in one piece, and then turned to Muramasa. When he saw what had happened to his blade he flung it away and shouted, "Why does everyone keep destroying my favorite swords? This is completely unfair and biased!"

Terra couldn't express just how relieved he felt as seeing who it was that saved them, "Master Eraqus!"

Standing at the entrance to the field was Yoruichi and his master. With a simple flick of his wrist Master Keeper appeared in his hand.

"Who?" Gilgamesh turned around in time to find himself propelled into the aim. Crouching on the ground with black lightning crackling around her body was Yoruichi. Before the swordsman began falling back towards the ground she pushed off the ground and into the air. As she flew up after Gilgamesh the crackling of darkness-infused lightning intensified around her arms. The swordsman's eyes widened in shock as she reared back a fist.

"Shunko no Yami!"

Yoruichi's fist hit Gilgamesh's stomach at nearly the speed of sound, causing a loud snap to reverberate through the air as his Genji armor directly behind her fist simply evaporated from the pressure. The next second Gilgamesh was propelled through the air out of the training grounds.

Terra winced as Yoruichi landed in a crouch near him. The aura of crackling lightning and darkness surrounding her body was enough to instill a sense of fear in his heart but his mind knew Yoruichi wasn't going to hurt him, "Y-Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi turned an amber eye to Terra, "I see you helped save Ichigo's life. Thank you." Turning to Eraqus she asked, "Think you can heal Ichigo? I'm not in a very good mood right now and I've got some unfinished business with Gilgamesh to conclude."

Eraqus frowned but nodded his head, "But of course."

Without even replying Yoruichi disappeared in a burst of darkness. As Terra finally managed to pull himself back onto his feet he couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for Gilgamesh.

* * *

...

* * *

Eraqus watched Yoruichi vanish into the distance before turning to more pressing matters. Ichigo Kurosaki was laying on the ground in a state of semi-consciousness with a pool of blood growing underneath his body. Quickly walking over to him he noticed Aqua trying to stop the bleeding with only a basic Cure spell. For her to not use anything more powerful indicated that her mana was nearly gone. A concerning notion but something he could ask about later on.

"What happened Aqua?" Eraqus needed to know just what happened to Ichigo to put him in this state before healing him. Trying to heal the wrong kind of internal damage could have fatal results.

Aqua looked up at her master with despair in her eyes. It was apparent that her constant failings to heal Ichigo had caused her to start crying, "I-I can't do anything to stop the bleeding. I don't have enough mana left to even stop the pain. Ichigo's dying and there's nothing I can do to help him!"

"Calm down Aqua," Eraqus said in the tone that made no room for excuses, "Panicking like this is unbecoming of a keyblade master. We need to assess the damage Gilgamesh did to Ichigo before we can start healing him. Now tell me what happened."

Aqua took few seconds to breathe to before beginning, "I had just hit Gilgamesh with a pointblank Thundaga Shot. Ichigo and Terra were helping me walk since I used most of my mana. One second everything's fine and the next Ichigo's standing with a sword through his chest."

Eraqus knelt besides Ichigo and held a hand over the wound, "It is fortunate that the blade cleanly passed through Ichigo's body. It will make healing him much easier but the severity of the wounds is another problem. I can only heal his internal injuries with magic. Everything else will need to heal naturally. Now then…Curaja."

A deep and intense green glow surrounded Ichigo's body. As she watched her master save Ichigo's life the intensity of the restoration magic was so great that Aqua could feel the cuts and scraps she obtained during the fight begin to instinctively heal.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"He should be fine for the moment," Eraqus let out a tired sigh. Curaja wasn't a spell someone could use without repercussions, "I'm going to take a look at Terra's wounds. Once I'm done I need you two to carry Ichigo back to the castle."

During this time Terra had managed to stumble over to them. The brown haired man let out a grimace of pain as his hands continued to burn him, "Will Yoruichi be enough to stop Gilgamesh?"

"Perhaps," Eraqus trailed off after getting a good look at his student's hands. After a momentary examination he frowned, "There are traces of darkness in these burns but I can easily cleanse such a small amount of darkness. What happened Terra?"

"It was Ichigo's keyblade," Terra said much to his master's shock, "I used it to fight Gilgamesh but when I tried to channel the light through it my hands got burnt."

Eraqus cast a quick Cura on Terra's hands, "That is quite peculiar. Usually a keyblade is bound to the heart of its wielder but for you to even be able to fight with it implies it read your heart and knew you were trying to protect Ichigo. Still, the fact that the burns on your hands contain darkness is disconcerting."

The master stood up and began walking towards where Yoruichi had taken off, "Terra, help Aqua carry Ichigo back to the castle. Xehanort should have already alerted the guards so there should be someone able to give Ichigo medical assistance as soon as you get back."

"What are you going to do master?"

Eraqus didn't turn around when he replied, "I'm going to put a stop to this."

* * *

...

* * *

Gilgamesh's return to the earth could be seen for miles around. Several long furrows had been sheered out of the ground from when his body had bounced off the dirt and nearly a dozen trees had been splintered in half in a vain attempt to stop his momentum. After being hit with Yoruichi's devastating punch his body had skipped along the ground several times before coming to a quick, and painful, stop against a boulder. It was there with his head stuck inside the boulder that Gilgamesh finally came to a stop, his unmoving body giving the idea that Yoruichi's punch and his subsequent impact had finally killed the legendary swordsman.

After several minutes passed with the only movement coming from the pouring rain Giglamesh's arms began to twitch and move. As they felt around the boulder where Gilgamesh's head was stuck a sound similar to a roar could be heard. Both hands pressed their palms down on the boulder and with a quick push managed to dislodge their owner's head.

"It was a good thing I was wearing a helmet."

Gilgamesh stood up and began examining his Genji armor. Already he could see that he would need to get several pieces repaired if not outright replaced. His breastplate was going to need to be totally scrapped. That woman's strange darkness attack had punched right through it like paper. His gauntlet, while chipped and cracked, could be repaired but he wasn't quite sure. Most important was that his helmet, with the horns he had severed from a Behemoth, was no more. Quickly discarding the destroyed helm he readjusted his red scarf so that none of his head besides his face was visible. He did have to keep up appearances after all.

"Ugh," he rotated his shoulder and felt a quick and sharp pain, "Did someone get the name of that guy that suplexed me?"

It had been quite a while since he had been this injured in a fight. The last time had been against a former employer who felt it was better to kill his employees rather then paying them. Gilgamesh had quickly, and effectively, shown him the proper way to be a good boss.

Gilgamesh looked around for the training grounds but was surprised he couldn't find it. He was surprised that the woman had enough power to hit him so far he was lost. Narrowing his eyes he peered into the distance and saw how far he had actually been thrown, "By the void, it's going to take me forever to walk back. While I would rather go home at this point and call it a day I do have a job to finish so I might as well start walking."

What really ticked Gilgamesh off was that he had lost two of his precious swords! Getting thrown for nearly a mile by a punch was fine, having his Genji armor destroyed was all right by him but damaging his legendary blades was unforgivable! Doesn't anyone realize how rare and valuable his swords are? Don't they know how many years he spent in both the Realm of Light and Darkness for those blades? He had to defeat demons, angels, and even someone proclaiming themselves a god to get them and now two of them are shattered! Sure he could get them repaired but the only blacksmith he trusts to do so isn't cheap. The last time he asked Boldwin to repair his stuff the crazy old man asked for the soul of a giant flame demon.

How in the realms was he supposed to collect the soul of a demon anyway? Gilgamesh considered himself lucky that Boldwin accepted large amounts of Gil as well.

As he walked back Gilgamesh felt a familiar power prickle against the edges of his senses. It took him a moment to realize what was coming but as soon as he did he crossed his arms in front of his body just as Yoruichi's fist came crashing. While he stopped her from hitting his chest in the same spot as last time the force behind the punch was enough to force Gilgamesh back several meters.

"You're quite strong," he grunted as he pushed power to his legs and arresting his movement. Staring into her amber eyes with his glowing ones Gilgamesh felt a sense of déjà vu but decided to ignore it, "I don't have time for this."

He attempted to grab her hand but found Yoruichi had disappeared in the blink of an eye. The speed she was exhibiting was impressive but nothing Gilgamesh couldn't handle. The next second he felt something hit the back of his head forcing him to crash into the ground.

Yoruichi stood back and watched Gilgamesh pick himself up. She would admit the swordsman was tough to take several Shunko-enhanced hits and still move. Perhaps it was simply a testament to the new types of power available outside of Karakura. She snapped to attention when she saw Gilgamesh wiping some mud off his face but strangely didn't disturb the kabuki makeup on his face. Pivoting in midair she spun and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to his neck. Gilgamesh let out a pained grunt as his head and upper body snapped back before he quickly recovered and grabbed her foot.

"You're strong but not strong enough."

Yoruichi was helpless as Gilgamesh spun around several times before releasing his grip. As Gilgamesh watched her fly through the air his mouth opened in shock when she literally disappeared.

"Where did she go?" This was unbelievable. Either she could teleport or was moving so fast that his eyes couldn't track her movements. The last time someone was that fast it had taken Gilgamesh forever to wear him down. As he continued scanning the environment for Yoruichi he felt a prickle of darkness coming from several feet behind him.

"You're right behind me, aren't you?"

"Aren't you a sharp one?" Yoruichi snidely responded.

Gilgamesh spun around, two broadswords forming out of the darkness as he did so. These were some of his cheaper blades so even if they were destroyed it wouldn't be a big loss. He had lost two of his legendary swords already. He wasn't going to risk losing a third.

He slashed out with the blade in his left hand only for Yoruichi to duck beneath it. She stepped forward and into his guard and attempted to deliver a open palm hit to his exposed chest but Gilgamesh hopped out of her range while countering with the sword in his right hand. Instead of dodging it Yoruichi used her Shunko as a makeshift glove to catch the sword mid-swing and with a simple show of strength snapped it in half.

"That's not fair!" Gilgamesh whined and threw away his broken sword. This was supposed to be an easy mission damn it! He didn't expect to face such strong opponents. If he had known the caliber of people he would be fighting he would have equipped himself with stronger and better armor and more powerful swords that are unbreakable.

When Yoruichi tried to smash her elbow into his face Gilgamesh ducked and countered by snapping out his knee. As she attempted to push off his knee with her hands Gilgamesh stopped the attack and spun around, slamming his armored heel into her cheek. Yoruichi flew back along the ground before coming to a halt. Rubbing a hand where he hit her she looked down and saw a smear of blood on her hand.

Instead of following up Gilgamesh crossed his arms and asked, "Who are you? You look strangely familiar. Have we met before?"

Yoruichi tightened her stance, "Why did you attack Ichigo?"

Gilgamesh frowned, "Nope, not going to tell you why!"

"That's the wrong answer," Yoruichi took a moment to calm herself down before the Shunko no Yami surrounding her intensified, "I'm afraid you're going to tell me everything you know."

As Yoruichi made a move to attack Gilgamesh she found her way blocked by a familiar keyblade. Looking down and then following the hand that held it, she saw Eraqus standing in her way. Before she could say anything he stepped past her.

"Gilgamesh," the master said with a trace of disdain in his voice, "For what purpose have you invaded my world?"

"Your world?" Gilgamesh seemed rather confused, "Are you sure this is your world? I don't remember it being this…wet."

"I am and have always been the steward of the Realm of Departure and you know that."

"That is true," Gilgamesh released his remaining sword and rubbed his neck. This day had been nuts from the moment he arrived. Since when were there so many strong people on one world? It was ridiculous! The woman though, there was something familiar about her. Aha! She was from the Realm of Darkness like Ichigo Kurosaki. That could explain how she was about to use the darkness without any of the side effects. While all that was interesting to Gilgamesh he knew what his next move needed to be.

"Hmm…nope!"

With a snap of his fingers a corridor of darkness appeared behind the swordsman, "Well, it's been fun and all Eraqus but I have to go now. If Ichigo Kurosaki managed to live through this tell him that if we meet in the future I look forward to having a proper fight with him. Fights to the death against someone like him tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth."

"Running away with your tail between your legs Gilgamesh?"

With one foot already in the corridor of darkness the swordsman replied, "Don't be absurd. The great Gilgamesh is not a coward! I am simply making a tactical retreat in the face of overwhelming odds. Besides, does it look like I have a tail?"

"Oh no you don't!" Yoruichi was about to chase after Gilgamesh but found Eraqus gripping her wrist. When she tried, and surprisingly failed, to pull her arm away she glared at the master, "Why are you stopping me?"

"I'm just preventing you from making a foolish mistake," the master replied. When the last vestiges of the corridor of darkness vanished he finally let go of Yoruichi, "The corridor of darkness is a dangerous and tricky technique. Unless you are traveling alongside the one that created the corridor there is no telling where you will end up. You could have ended up in the middle of the Lanes Between and quickly died."

Yoruichi took a few deep breaths and calmed down, "How's Ichigo?"

"He'll be fine. I managed to close the injury to his lung but his other wounds will need time to heal. Restoration magic can only do so much with wounds that severe but I expect Ichigo to make a full recovery within a week or two."

"Good," Yoruichi stared up into the thunderstorms above and let the rain hit her face. When she used the power of darkness while fighting Gilgamesh she could feel something influencing her state of mind. It wasn't impacting her intelligence but rather her negative emotions. Everything that involved anger, pride, and power seemed to be amplified. She would have to be wary of using that power in the future, at least until she had managed to master it. She had spent too much time reading up on the history of everything and not enough time on how her powers had changed and evolved.

"I'm going to be here a little while Eraqus. I need some time to think."

The master began to walk away but soon stopped, "After seeing you fight I can tell you are now quite familiar with the power the darkness can give you. By your facial expressions I can also see you now know the drawbacks of such power. I will refrain from saying anything today because whether I like it or not it was the power of darkness that saved Ichigo and my students' lives. I hope that when you return to the castle that you have come to some sort of realization."

As the master's footsteps faded away into the distance Yoruichi closed her eyes and focused her senses inwards. Just below the surface where she used to be able to feel her spiritual pressure was the unmistakable signature of the darkness. She realized why Eraqus was so concerned with her using the power of darkness in her attacks. He had been right when he said it was corruptive to the heart and if Yoruichi hadn't come from the Realm of Darkness she would probably not have been able to deny the darkness a foothold in her heart.

"I don't want to risk it. Until I am able to gain control over the darkness I should refrain from using any attacks that involve it."

That meant she would have to rely on Hakuda since she could no longer use Shunko. The strange thing was that her speed had drastically decreased since escaping Karakura. If she had been able to access her full potential when fighting Gilgamesh she could have delivered ten punches for every one that he stopped. It was frustrating but at the same time exciting. It had been years, decades perhaps, since she had been in a situation where she wasn't the fastest being around. This could be a golden opportunity to train herself up again.

"This might not be so bad after all."

xxxxxxxx

"If you don't stop moving then the bandages are going to have to be redone."

"It's fine."

"You're not fine Ichigo so either you stop fidgeting or I'll make you stop moving!"

"I said I'm fine!"

Ichigo struggled for a few more seconds before resigning himself to his fate as his strength left him. Giving up, he sat on the edge of the bed as Aqua finished checking the bandages wrapped around his chest. The entire upper half of his chest was covered as well as several spots on his arms. Eraqus hadn't been kidding when he said magic wouldn't be able to heal everything but Ichigo was just grateful he wasn't dead. The last time someone stabbed him through the chest it left him on death's door and that was only because he was a soul already.

The amount of strength that Gilgamesh had scared Ichigo unlike anything he had experienced before. It wasn't that he was evil or malicious but that he had so much power that he didn't need to flaunt it to show just how weak you were compared to him. Ichigo was fairly certain Gilgamesh hadn't even been showing most of his power during their battle and he remembered how the swordsman said his strength paled compared to a keyblade master. Did that mean this dark master was even stronger then Gilgamesh? Did he even have a chance of avenging everyone that died?

His musing was disturbed when Aqua flicked his forehead, "Stop dozing off. We don't know if you have a concussion so you need to stay away for a few more hours."

Ichigo rubbed the spot where she hit him. Just as he was about to retort he saw the worry in Aqua's eyes and decided to change the subject, "Terra said you were really worried about me."

"What?" Aqua looked embarrassed for a movement before steeling her features, "Of course I was worried. You almost died. Why wouldn't I be worried?"

Ichigo looked at Aqua nervously, "Calm down. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life."

"I wished it was me that saved your life," Aqua's voice became a whisper as she continued, "But I couldn't do anything out there. If Master Eraqus hadn't shown up you would have died. I was completely useless when it you needed me the most."

Ichigo wasn't very good when it came to upset women. The only person he knew to get upset like this was Orihime and Tatsuki was usually close by to help her feel better. He wracked his mind furiously as he tried to recall what Tatsuki usually did, "Didn't you save my life when you jumped over the wall of fire to attack Gilgamesh? Eraqus wouldn't have been able to save me that second time if you hadn't done so initially."

Aqua opened her mouth to respond but a knock on the door drew their attention. A few seconds later the door opened and both Eraqus and Terra walked in, "I am surprised you are recovering as quickly as you are Ichigo. The wounds you received would normally force a person to be bedridden for at least a day."

"What can I say, I've always been tough," Ichigo replied before turning to Terra, "How are you hands?"

"They're fine. No need to worry about them," Terra chuckled and rubbed his neck, "Master Eraqus explained that since you come from the Realm of Darkness your keyblade could only channel the darkness without side effects."

Ichigo nodded but remembered what he wanted to ask, "So what happened to Gilgamesh?"

Eraqus stroked his chin, "After healing you I took off in pursuit of Yoruichi and Gilgamesh. When I caught up to them Yoruichi was fighting him to a standstill. Upon my arrival he decided to flee."

"Something is troubling me Master Eraqus. Gilgamesh seemed upset that I tried to help Ichigo. He called me a cheater."

"Gilgamesh…" Eraqus trailed off as his mind searched for the proper words, "…is a warrior of great renown despite his weird behavior. He believes that a fight against someone he considers worthy should be single combat. Anything else is like cheating to him. The fact that he allowed you to fight alongside Ichigo implies something else was going on."

"He didn't exactly say it but I think he was hired by someone to kill me."

Eraqus looked at Ichigo with pity, "That is what Xehanort believes and unfortunately the evidence is adding up. I cannot believe that there is a dark master out there willingly destroying worlds and lives but most disturbing is that we don't know his motives. Until I am able to figure out what this dark master is after you will be in danger Ichigo."

Ichigo's eyes widened, "What?"

Eraqus seemed to find his next words bitter, "As you have said, this was not just a random attack by Gilgamesh. Someone hired him to take you out as soon as possible. The fact that they did so on perhaps the second strongest bastion of light in the Realm of Light indicates that you're quite important. This dark master is most likely trying to tie up any loose ends about Karakura."

"What about Yoruichi?" This is great. He needed to find out that the person he is going after is sending assassins after him.

"Yoruichi was able to fight off Gilgamesh without my assistance so if the dark master sends anyone after her she should be able to fight them off or retreat," Eraqus paused to study Ichigo's face. The orange haired teen seemed pensive about something but Eraqus did not feel the need to press him. If Ichigo wanted to talk to him about whatever was on his mind that as up to him.

Eraqus couldn't help but blame a small part of what happened to Ichigo on himself. While the attack happened merely a day after Ichigo's arrival to the world perhaps if he had agreed to train him then Ichigo could have put up enough of a fight to last until his arrival. The master shook his head quickly to dispel such thoughts. He should not dwell on the past when he has no impact on the present or future. He looked at his students, who were talking to Ichigo about his fight, and couldn't help let out a small smile. Just a week ago they were complaining about training and getting a keyblade and now they had thrown themselves into danger to save a friend.

"_Perhaps I have been harsh on them. They clearly understand what it means to wield a keyblade and the responsibilities that go along with it."_

"Aqua, Terra," Eraqus's stern voice stopped their talking, "I am proud of what you two accomplished today. You went up against a superior opponent with mastery over the power of darkness and did not flee even when he allowed you to. Instead you risked your lives to help Ichigo despite knowing you might be killed. Perhaps I have been too stern. You both realized what kind of sacrifices are necessary to become a master."

Aqua's eyes widened, "Are you saying…"

Eraqus nodded, "Yes. I believe that you and Terra deserve to finally receive a keyblade but remember that just because you have the keyblade it does not mean you are any stronger. You were able to fight effectively today with just your magic."

Before he stepped out of the room Eraqus addressed Ichigo one final time, "I have said that I will not be training you Ichigo and I stick by that decision but I do believe I have a solution in the works. If everything works out as it should I should be able to find a master to train you."

As Terra jumped in the air in celebration and Aqua smiled alongside him Ichigo's reaction was more pensive. He hadn't realized Eraqus refused to train him but he could understand his motives when he already had students. Perhaps whomever he found could help him gain enough strength to fight against someone like Gilgamesh.

"I'm going to go for a walk," he said as he stood up and headed for the exit, "I'll be back later."

* * *

...

* * *

By the evening the thunderstorms that had plagued the Realm of Departure had given way to a simple, but constant, rain that didn't appear to be letting up anytime soon. The denizens were beginning to suspect that the abrupt change in weather was an omen of things to come but to Ichigo it was just a reminder of how close he had come to death. After he left Aqua and Terra he had absentmindedly walked around the castle with no purpose or direction in mind. Eventually he had found himself in one of the least frequented corridors and decided to stay there for a short while to clear his mind.

As he leaned forward against the stone railing Ichigo's eyes may have been watching the rain flow in rivers off the castle around him but his mind was going over the day's events. He had come to the realization after seeing Gilgamesh take every one of his attacks and strategies without even losing his composure that perhaps simply fighting in close combat may not always be the smartest thing to do. Such a style may have worked against hollows since a zanpakuto was the only thing that could cleanse the corrupted souls but that didn't work here. If he was going to survive his second encounter with Gilgamesh he needed to learn magic.

Ichigo unconsciously scratched his chest before stopping himself and frowning. He really hated getting new clothes.

When he had regained consciousness in the castle infirmary the first thing he had noticed, after realizing he was still alive, was that his shirt and jacket were covered in his blood. That was to be expected. He did, after all, nearly bleed to death after Gilgamesh decided to skewer him. What he did not expect was for them to throw away his bloodstained clothing.

He protested as effectively as he could, given his condition, but whoever it was that treated him was adamant that his clothes were ruined. Ichigo tried to protest but found his opinions ignored. He had lived with his father, who was a doctor, and knew how to get blood out of clothes but no one was listening to him. So instead of doing the sensible thing they allowed Ichigo free reign to the spare clothes in the castle.

Now instead of wearing a dark blue jacket with yellow diamonds stitched across the front and around the back he wore a pure white hoodie with the emblem of a heart emblazoned on both his upper left chest and right sleeve. The white shirt had given way to a form-fitting red one much like Terra wore. The only difference being that Ichigo refused to wear the straps.

"I see you got yourself some new duds Ichigo," a familiar voice spoke from behind him, "They look good on you."

"Hey Yoruichi," he answered without turning around, "I didn't see you when I woke up."

Yoruichi huffed and walked forward until she was standing besides him, "I was giving the grounds around the castle a quick look-over. Eraqus may have been convinced Gilgamesh left but that guy is like a wet match in a dark cave. I wouldn't put it past him to trick us into thinking he's so insane that he's too insane to come up with a brilliant plan."

"I don't think he was insane, just extremely annoying."

There was silence for a couple of seconds except for the pitter-patter of the rain on the roof above. Eventually Ichigo asked, "So what are you doing up here?"

"What am I doing here?" Yoruichi scoffed and leaned forward until her face was inches from his, "That's a stupid question! I'm here because of the rumors that my student is acting like a real downer!"

Ichigo growled and pushed back, "How the hell am I your student if you never taught me anything?"

"Idiot!" Yoruichi slammed her forehead into Ichigo's, causing him to wince in pain, "Who do you think it was that came up with Kisuke's entire plan to help you regain your shinigami powers? That man may have been a genius but he could never create such a revolutionary training program without someone like myself helping him!"

Something in what she said caught his ear, "Back up a second. You created the shattered shaft?"

"Well, not that part," Yoruichi said unabashed, "That was actually Kisuke's invention. If none of this had happened I would have been the one to train you in using your new shinigami powers to the fullest. I would have taught you everything you needed to know to rescue Rukia Kuchiki from the Soul Society."

"Tell me something," Ichigo leaned forward and turned his head to Yoruichi, "You fought Gilgamesh. Just how strong was he? Sure I fought him but I could tell he wasn't actually trying."

Yoruichi hummed to herself, "That's a tough one. If we are simply going by his power I would put Gilgamesh somewhere around a low shinigami captain but there are several things that may make him even stronger."

He turned his head, "Such as?"

"The power of darkness for instance. I could tell Gilgamesh was holding back a lot of his actual power. He must have been fighting you with only a small fraction of his real power but for a large man he was surprising fast with exceptional reflexes. I was known as the Goddess of Flash and yet Gilgamesh was able to somewhat keep up with me. There are too many things I don't know about him to give you a proper answer though I can say one thing, when I fought him I was sure I could have defeated him."

"That's what I thought. I knew he was holding back but I didn't know it was that much. I was useless out there."

Yoruichi stepped back and folded her arms, "Instead of whining about it what are you going to do?"

Ichigo looked down at his clenched hand, "I'm going to have to get stronger. I have a keyblade but none of the training. I need to be prepared for next time Gilgamesh or someone like him comes after me. What about you Yoruichi?"

"Me?" Yoruichi asked confused before her face lit up, "I don't have a keyblade like you. All I have is this power of darkness that replaced my shinigami powers. Unlike you who basically started from scratch I need to relearn a lot of what I learned during my time as a shinigami. While you train to become a keyblade master I'm going to learn how to control the darkness without being corrupted by it. If that doesn't work I can just gain enough control to never worry about it corrupting my heart."

Yoruichi turned around and began walking away but before leaving said one last thing to him, "I knew Isshin well Ichigo. He wouldn't blame you for not being able to save them. I think he would actually be quite proud you've come so far without giving up. I promise that I'll help search for your sisters Ichigo."

With that said Yoruichi disappeared into the shadows of the castle leaving Ichigo alone with his thoughts.

* * *

...

* * *

"Were you going to depart without a farewell?"

Xehanort folded his arms, "The events of today have given me cause for concern Eraqus. The fact that this dark master so brazenly attacked what could be considered a bastion of power in the Realm of Light leads me to think they have something up their sleeves."

"Attacking is one thing but sending Gilgamesh is something else," Eraqus had fought the swordsman in the past. He knew first hand just how strong he was, "The question that is puzzling me is just how he found Ichigo so quickly. Ichigo wasn't in the Land of Departure for even a day before Gilgamesh appeared."

Xehanort turned his gaze downwards, "It seems we remain one step behind this dark master."

Eraqus seemed to think over his next words, "Today might be considered a victory."

"How so?"

"Today we not only repelled an assault from Gilgamesh, a being of the Realm of Darkness whose power is immense, but we also ensured Ichigo Kurosaki lived. This dark master obviously believes Ichigo could tie him to the destruction of Karakura so in the future he might start acting recklessly to ensure Ichigo's death. We can use that to our advantage."

"That is a good point," Xehanort stopped for a moment and looked through a nearby window, whose outer surface was slick with rain, "I will go out and warn the other masters of this dark master and to be wary of any stranger who has a keyblade. All twenty-seven masters have become familiar with each other after years of working together so seeing someone they don't know wield a keyblade should raise flags. Perhaps you are right about this dark master acting recklessly. If young Ichigo is trained properly and constantly evades his assassins he may feel the need to come out into the open to deal with the problem himself. That could be our trap. We just need to play our hand right and they will never know what hit them."

"Thank you," Eraqus nodded and held out his hand, "I am glad we were able to patch up our friendship after all these years."

Xehanort gave a genial smile, "Likewise Eraqus. I let my obsession for Kingdom Hearts and the χ-blade stain my heart with greed. After seeing what such obsession did to our friendship I realized that perhaps there are only things out there that I could pursue."

Eraqus was intrigued, "Such as?"

"We know of Kingdom Hearts of course but there are dozens of worlds out there that have never seen a keyblade or a master. Who knows what secrets and legends exist on such worlds? It would be a shame to let such knowledge fall into obscurity."

At the entrance to the castle where the lights finally began fading away Eraqus stopped walking. He watched Xehanort continue alone past him into the enveloping darkness outside.


	10. Chapter 10: The Internal Conflict

_Here is Chapter 10 of **Key through the Soul**. I am proud to say that this chapter wraps up the current story line quite nicely. It has taken me several rewrites and deletions to get it to the quality below but I assure you that it is worth it. Here you will see Aqua and Terra confront what haunts them the most and Eraqus finally keeps his promise to Ichigo, albeit indirectly. There are even a few twists and turns along the way so make sure to read carefully._

_*On a related note I have reached over 10,000 views and over 100 reviews! Over half of that comes from the last four chapters so that means more and more of you are becoming interested in my story. I thank you my loyal readers for the support you have given me. It is your views and reviews that drive me to write each and every chapter so I thank you once again._

_*Make sure to participate in the poll for who you want to be a Princess of Darkness. There are only a few chapters remaining until I close the poll so if you want to have a say in the matter please give your choices!_

_*I want to say once again that keyblades are unique to the wielder. In my story the keyblade is intimately tied to the heart of its wielder and therefore no more than one can be wielded at any time. If anyone tries to bring Roxas or Sora into the argument I have an easy answer for you. Nobodies, contrary to popular belief, could regain their hearts given enough time. Roxas defeated Xion and absorbed her, merging their hearts (in my universe anyway) and allowing Roxas to wield two keyblades. Eventually Roxas merged back with Sora, giving him the ability to use two keyblades at once. It makes a lot of sense._

_* Don't forget to read and review!_

* * *

...

* * *

"What is this place?"

It had been a week since Gilgamesh showed up in the Land of Departure and already many changes could be seen throughout the world. When in the past Aqua would hardly ever see guards outside the castle walls now she couldn't go more then an hour without noticing two to three patrolling the various roads and paths. Master Eraqus claimed that such measures were temporary due to the darkness Gilgamesh had wielded temporarily weakening the barrier surrounding the Land of Departure and making it easier for heartless to arrive on the world.

Eraqus's footsteps echoed on the worn marble tiles, "You will know soon enough."

Their master's behavior over the last seven days had been anything but normal. Despite praising both of them for risking their lives to save Ichigo from Gilgamesh and promising them they had earned the right to wield a keyblade Eraqus had been rather silent and pensive. Terra had tried to get his master to open up but Eraqus had simply shaken his head and said that there was just too much on his mind at the moment and things should clear up soon enough. Days passed without their master's mood improving. In fact, it seemed to actually be getting worse with the pensive look slowly but surely being replaced by one that seemed almost…sad.

It was early this morning, just as the sun crested over the mountains, that their master woke them up while informing them that the preparations to grant them a keyblade have been completed.

Aqua briefly looked around the hall she was currently walking through. The architecture seemed to be unlike anything else in the castle. A thick layer of dust covered the marble surfaces and she had to brush away cobwebs more than once. In spite of these conditions Eraqus continued walking forward without uttering a single word. Eventually they turned a corner and descended down a flight of pristine stairs that seemed to end in a dead end.

"We have arrived."

"I don't mean to be rude Master Eraqus," Terra spoke up as he examined the wall in front of them, "But there's nothing here."

Instead of answering Eraqus extended his arm and Master Keeper appeared in a shower of light. Raising his keyblade towards the wall Eraqus muttered a silent incantation and immediately a thin beam of light shot out from the tip of the blade and flew straight until it collided with the wall.

Aqua and Terra watched in fascination as the beam of light collided with the wall and immediately an effigy in the shape of a heart appeared on the wall, its outline shining with the same light their master's keyblade had emitted. After a couple of moments the heart faded away and a pair of doors took its place.

"I am afraid I did not tell you the entire truth the other day," their master said in a pensive tone as he lowered Master Keeper, "For while you may believe you are ready for a keyblade there is still one final test you need to take and it is something I cannot do. For generations potential wielders have entered this room to determine whether they truly deserve to be among the protectors of the Realm of Light. This is in the Chamber of Introspection and it shall determine whether you will ever wield a keyblade."

"If we will ever wield?" Terra muttered in confusion, his brown eyes narrowed, "I thought that was up to you to decide."

"Unlike what most beings in the Realm of Light believe it has never been up to the masters to determine who can wield a keyblade."

"Wait a second…" Aqua pursed her lips as something came to mind, "What about the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony? Doesn't the ceremony allow a master to choose if someone is worthy of summoning a keyblade?"

"A common misconception," Eraqus pressed a palm against one of the doors, "The actual purpose of the inheritance ceremony is to determine if someone's heart fits the criteria to wield a keyblade. It is one of the few ways masters know who is worthy of being taken under their wing. In the past more then one potentially powerful wielder has been turned away just by failing the ceremony for that very reason."

The doors to the Chamber of Introspection began emitting a hiss as dust that hadn't been disturbed for many years was blown away by the sudden change in atmospheric pressure, "The keyblade is a sacred weapon that is tied to the heart of its wielder. It is usually impossible for someone to wield another's keyblade unless his or her hearts are in synch. Terra, when you grabbed Ichigo's keyblade you did so with the singular purpose of protecting Ichigo and thus were allowed to use it."

"From this point forward you are on your own," Eraqus said as the doors began opening soundlessly. Aqua and Terra had to cover their eyes as an intense white light shone out from within the chamber, "You may believe being able to visit your respective Dive to the Heart means you are prepared to defend the Realm of Light but what lies within this chamber will test whether that is true or not."

Terra seemed bothered by something, "Wait a minute. Ichigo didn't have to go through any of this and he has a keyblade."

Eraqus turned his head slightly at Terra's question, "There are usually three steps. The inheritance ceremony determines if someone's heart is worthy to wield the keyblade. The ability for oneself to manifest in their Dive to the Heart implies they have the strength of heart to bear the responsibilities of the keyblade. The Chamber of Introspection is where you prove if you deserve to wield the keyblade. Whatever Ichigo Kurosaki did to earn his keyblade I am unable to say for sure but this is not the first time someone has gained the keyblade without proving themselves within this chamber."

Aqua and Terra listened on as their master continued with his explanation, "There was a master by the name of Tellah who lived decades before my time. The story goes that an army of heartless attacked the world he lived on but something happened just before its heart was devoured by the darkness. Tellah stood before the heartless, held out his hand, and managed to summon the keyblade and singlehandedly fight back the heartless on his world."

Eraqus looked at the impressed looks on his students' faces and found himself barely able to say the next part of his speech, "I have forestalled your test long enough. Whatever the test you face may be I wish you the best of luck. I know that you both will walk out of the chamber with your heads held high and a keyblade in your hands. Don't give up and let your heart guide you."

Terra and Aqua looked at each other before gathering their courage and entering the Chamber of Introspection. Eraqus watched on silently as their forms disappeared into the all-encompassing light. Closing his eyes he leaned against a nearby wall and began meditating on what could happen to his students but only time could tell. Whatever happens in the next few hours will determine if they become wielders of the keyblade.

"Why did you not tell me how painful this was?"

**Key through the Soul**

**CHAPTER 10: ****The Internal Conflict**

There was an intense burst of light as she walked into the Chamber of Introspection and Aqua was forced to close them lest she go blind. After what seemed like several minutes passes she hesitantly risked opening them and found to her surprise that while the blinding light was gone she was no longer in the chamber or anywhere else in the Realm of Departure. Instead of standing in the castle she now stood in the middle of a field of yellow and white flowers. Taking a quick look to her left and then right she realized that the field of flowers stretched as far as she could see and up and over the hills surrounding her.

"Terra?" she shouted and waited as her voice echoed before fading away. As it became obvious that she was truly alone Aqua turned her attention towards more important matters.

The last thing she remembered was walking into the Chamber of Introspection alongside Terra and then nothing besides a bright light. It should have been impossible to end up outside or wherever she currently was. If she had been teleported or brought out of the castle via magic she would have been able to sense a residual trace of the spell on her body and yet there was nothing. Either she was still in the chamber and this was all an illusion or a spell of extraordinary power and complexity had been cast.

Testing out if this truly was an illusion Aqua retraced her steps back towards the entrance of the chamber. One of the hardest things for an illusion to influence is the sense of touch due to how varied and sensitive skin is. If she managed to actually feel the door the entire illusion should collapse. After four, five, six steps through the field of flowers Aqua took a breath and raised an arm. If she was correct then the door should only be a couple of inches, a foot at the most, in front of her. Pressing forward she became dismayed when her arm passed through the air without making contact with anything solid.

"So this isn't an illusion then," Aqua's blue eyes narrowed as she tried to think of an alternative answer, "But I don't think this is a teleportation spell, or at least one I've seen before."

Deciding to test out how big this place actually was, as well as trying to find Terra if he was even here, Aqua began walking towards the tallest nearby hill. Up there she could see for a much longer distance and perhaps a landmark or two. Flowers for as far as she could see wasn't exactly a reliable location. As she reached and began climbing the hill Aqua began sensing someone watching her.

"Who's there?"

She turned around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, only flowers shifting in the small spring breeze. Despite not seeing anything Aqua didn't let her guard down. She knew someone or something was here and it would be foolish to think she was safe. Master Eraqus had said this was the final test to receive a keyblade; perhaps all this was simply to determine if she was worthy? Nevertheless Aqua continued to walk up the hill, her body tensed in preparation for any impending attack.

The hill was much taller than Aqua thought and it took her several minutes of pacing herself to reach the summit. When she did so she couldn't help but take in the view. The field of flowers really was endless and stretched into the horizon that had to be several miles away. As she stared out into the distance Aqua saw the flowers moving in waves as the wind shifted and looped through the hills.

The feeling of being watched returned two-fold and Aqua pivoted around, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"**Why would I need to show myself when you already know I'm here?"**

The voice that replied was distinctly feminine and seemed to echo from throughout the area. Just a moment ago Aqua had been sure she was dealing with a person but this voice felt like it had never belonged in a physical body and yet she couldn't shake the feeling she knew this voice.

"Who are you?"

"**Who I am is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Trivial knowledge used by the mind to placate the fear of being in the presence of a greater being. The question that needs to be asked is whether you truly deserve to wield a keyblade."**

The question threw Aqua through a loop but she kept herself from lashing out. She could sense no darkness coming from the voice and so far it hadn't threatened her, "Why would you say that?"

"**Do you really not know?"** the voice asked with the same emotionless tone but Aqua could feel a hint of anger, **"Someone selfish like yourself cannot be trusted with such a sacred weapon."**

Now Aqua was starting to get angry, "I'm not selfish."

"**Are you?"** a stiff wind blew through the field and Aqua shivered at the sudden drop in temperature, **"Have you forgotten what occurred thirteen days after Eraqus accepted you as an apprentice?"**

Aqua's body stiffened as the memories assaulted her. She, of course, knew what happened that day but had tried to forget all about it.

After her mother sacrificed her life bringing her to the Land of Departure it had been Master Eraqus who took her in and made sure she had a bed to sleep in and food to eat. For many years afterwards she was grateful and viewed him as the father she couldn't remember so when the day came when he offered her a chance to become his student in the way of the keyblade she had accepted without hesitation. She wanted to repay him back for taking her in all those years ago and she was determined to not let him down.

Two weeks after that day, thirteen days if one was keeping track, she found out that Terra, her first and best friend, had also been accepted as Eraqus's apprentice. When Aqua had asked Terra about how this was possible he had laughed and said he didn't really expect to be taken on but Master Eraqus must have seen something worthwhile in him and he wasn't going to let him down by screwing up.

What happened next was completely accidental and to this day Aqua would swear she didn't mean it. In her excitement upon finding out that her best friend would be training alongside her Aqua tripped and began falling face first towards the ground. Terra had moved to catch her but misjudged how tall she was and while managing to catch her actually began falling himself. As he fell he reached towards one of the many decorative suits of armor decorating the rooms of the castle. Terra had stood there, one arm holding onto her and the other propped against the wall, and watched as the armor slowly tipped over and crashed to the ground with a loud bang, destroying both the priceless suit of armor as well as the antique table that was in its way.

Master Eraqus, along with several of the castle guards had rushed to the room when the crash was heard and to this day had never seen her master so angry. He had demanded to know who was responsible for causing so much destruction. Aqua had frozen in fear. She was conflicted on what to do. On one hand she felt in her heart it was best to come clean and say it was an accident but on the other hand she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize her chances of being Eraqus's apprentice. What she didn't expect was for Terra to step forward and claim responsibility for the whole event.

To this day it ate her up that she didn't take responsibility for what happened even if it was an accident.

"I know it was my fault," Aqua whispered, more to herself then the voice, "When Terra took the blame for what happened it made me realize that I could be a better friend. He willingly took the fall for something he knew was my fault and I just stood by in silence. After that day I vowed to be a better friend and stick up for him whenever he needed my help. That is why I don't live in the past. I learned my lesson and what could happen if I forsake my friends in fear of letting someone down."

"**Well said," **the voice seemed impressed, if barely, by her answer, **"But in the future there will be times you will have to once again choose between Terra and Eraqus. When that time arrives who will you side with, your best friend and the one who took the blame for your mistake or your teacher and the man you consider a father?"**

Aqua closed her eyes and sighed peacefully, "If, and when, that time comes I'll make a decision. Thinking about what I might do in the future is useless. If I am forced to ever make such a terrible choice I will just have to trust my heart."

There was absolute silence as Aqua finished and even the wind coasting through the field seemed to have died off. Several minutes passed without the voice answering or even talking to her and she was beginning to believe that she had failed whatever test this was.

As she turned to walk down the hill and hopefully find the exit to this place she noticed a sphere of light flying lazily through the skies above her. Her blue eyes watched mesmerized as it drew closer and closer. Reaching out with one hand as it finally approached her she felt it land softly on her palm before it faded away.

"This is…"

Dangling from her hand with a sound similar to a wind chime was a keychain. The chains resembled blue translucent rain drops hooked together and ending in a stylized silver droplet with a blue gem held in the middle. Aqua stared at the keychain in disbelief, her eyes unable to comprehend just what she was holding. Deep in her heart the keychain felt right. Closing her hand while holding the keychain tightly Aqua noticed that her body was beginning to fade away in a shower of light.

"What's going on?"

"**You have passed the test,"** the voice answered in barely a whisper. Aqua had to strain her ears just to understand it, **"You have accepted what you hate most about yourself and proven worthy to wield the keyblade. Friends and family are both important but what you choose in your heart is equally vital."**

Just when her body was nearly gone Aqua felt as if she finally recognized why the voice sounded so familiar. As she reached out towards the blurry figure that had not existed prior to that moment the last of her body faded away.

* * *

...

* * *

"Ugh. Why does my mouth takes terrible?"

Terra opened his eyes and shook his head as his memories assaulted me. He remembered walking into the Chamber of Introspection alongside Aqua and then…nothing. He wracked his brain trying to figure out what happened and how he arrived where he was.

"That's a very good question."

Instead of the castle, Terra was standing in the middle of what looked like ancient ruins from a long-gone civilization. Many of the buildings and statues were in a state of extreme decay but what bothered him the most was that there had to be at least a foot of snow on the ground and yet he wasn't shivering in the slightest. Thinking this was an illusion he bent down and scooped some snow in his hand. Rubbing it through his fingers Terra could definitely feel it as it slipped and melted through his fingers but none of the accompanying numbness was present.

"Someone went through a lot of trouble to convince me I was teleported to a world in the middle of winter," Terra mused as he brushed his hand on his hakama. This was all very confusing and yet Terra had the strangest feeling this was his test. Perhaps, he thought as he began exploring the ruins, the test was to show that he was able to function and fight without a keyblade? His brief clash against Gilgamesh had shown one doesn't need to have a keyblade to be strong. That man had wiped the floor with him without even trying. Frankly, it was rather humbling to the brash young man.

Terra walked around a half-fallen pillar and saw that the ruins extended deep into the mountains. Sighing he cupped his hands to his mouth and threw caution to the wind, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

He listened as his voice echoed through the ruins but wasn't surprised when he heard nothing else. He truly was alone in this place but perhaps that was the point of this test, "Could it be that I need to solve some sort of problem without knowing about it beforehand?"

That would make sense. Master Eraqus had explained that most problems keyblade masters solve do not fall into their laps but come as a result of investigation and research. There was something he was missing here and Terra was determined to find it.

"This would be a lot easier if Aqua was here. She's better at these sorts of things."

Something prickled at his senses and Terra quickly turned towards one of the larger buildings. His eyes narrowed, he glanced from roof to roof for the source of the feeling. Someone was definitely here but he couldn't sense where they were. After several fruitless minutes of searching and finding nothing he gave his surroundings one final glance before trekking onwards.

"I must be imagining things."

"**Being overly cautious does not make one paranoid. It is what you choose to do that determines your state of mind."**

"Who are you?" Terra spun around for the source of the voice. What made it difficult was that it sounded like it was coming from all around him, "What do you want?"

"**Do you think trespassing on sacred grounds is the smart thing to do? What if those who built this place still live here?"**

"You didn't answer my question," Terra could swear the voice was familiar to him but whenever he tried to think how the memories slipped through the cracks, "Fine then. Can I at least know your name?"

"**My name is not important in the grand scheme of things. Giving someone your name implies they have power over you. A name contains power therefore allowing oneself to have no sense of identity eliminates that sense of ownership."**

Terra glanced around as the voice continued speaking. He didn't know why but he had the strangest feeling that it was watching him but he couldn't see anyone around, "So what do you want?"

"**The question is what do you want,"** the voice said, ignoring his question, **"You would have already earned the right to wield the keyblade if it wasn't for Aqua."**

"What are you talking about?" Terra narrowed his eyes. He didn't like where this was going.

"**If it wasn't for her then Eraqus would have seen your potential long ago. If it wasn't for Aqua then you wouldn't have had to wait two years for Eraqus to agree to take you as his student and even then you were soon outclassed. How many times have you seen Eraqus praise Aqua for grasping an advanced spell when you are still unable to use anything more than the basics?"**

What the voice said was true. Terra had been jealous of Aqua's skill with magic. He remembered their first lesson under Master Eraqus as if it happened only yesterday. Their master had brought them to a small clearing near the castle with a couple of dummies set up. He wanted to see how skilled they were with magic before doing anything else. Master Eraqus proceeded to cast Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder in quick succession on the target before asking Terra to copy him.

What happened next was to be expected. While he was able to cast Fire he found himself unable to do anything else. His blizzard only caused a light fluttering of snow and ice to hit the target and his Thunder did nothing more then cause his hair to stand on end. Eraqus didn't seem upset and said he was actually ahead of where he expected Terra to be after only casting magic once. His esteem at the praise remained high until Aqua stepped forward and proceeded to unintentionally demolish the training dummy with her magic.

Ever since that day Terra had seen Aqua pull more and more ahead of him when it came to magic. When he finally mastered the basic elemental spells after days of painful training and practice he found that she was already mastering the intermediate spells. As Master Eraqus spent more time helping Aqua with her magic Terra's jealousy grew. He needed to prove himself in to his master no matter the cost.

But he would never hurt Aqua to do so.

"I may be jealous of her skill with magic," he said, confidence evident in his voice, "But that just makes me want to prove myself even more. Every time I see her cast something I can only dream about doing it forces me to strive to better myself."

"**So you admit you're jealous that she is better than you?"**

"At magic…but I'm better at other things. We can't all be perfect. Perhaps Aqua's strength in life is magic and perhaps I will never be as good as her but I can do plenty of other things! I didn't need to use magic to come up with a plan to save Ichigo from Gilgamesh and I definitely didn't need it when I foolishly fought him to prevent Ichigo from dying!

He stabbed a finger forward and growled, "I don't need you telling me what I already know deep in my heart! I may be jealous but that does not make me a bad person!"

Terra panted as he finished yelling, waiting for the voice to say something witty or mocking. When nothing happened he looked around, the only sound coming from the wind whipping the snow around the dilapidated ruins. Just as he was beginning to feel stupid for shouting at a voice that wasn't really there Terra had to wince as a flash of light erupted from directly in front of him.

"What the hell?"

As the light died down Terra couldn't help but reach forward and grab the keychain hovering in midair, the rust colored chains swinging softly in the breeze.

"What is this?" Terra asked despite knowing the answer as he beheld the keychain in his hand, "Did I pass the test?"

"**Jealousy by itself is not inherently dark,"** the voice answered and Terra gasped as he saw his body slowly evaporated in a shower of light, **"Some use jealousy to enact disproportional vengeance against the target of their ire and yet others use it to better themselves. Trust yourself and what you can do but trust others for they can help you when you cannot help yourself."**

* * *

...

* * *

Aqua groaned as consciousness quickly and harshly reasserted itself. Clearing the cobwebs from her head she pushed herself off the ground and looked around as everything slowly came back to her. She was laying in a room with cracked grey walls and illuminated by ambient lighting that seemed to permeate from around the entire room. After a couple of seconds of reorienting herself she notice Terra sprawled unconscious on the ground just a few feet away.

"Terra!" Aqua crawled over and shook his shoulder. When that failed to elicit a response she gave him a quick smack on the face. To her relief he groaned opened his eyes.

"Uh…What happened?" Terra sat up and rubbed his cheek. He winced as his eyes sensitively reacted to the light, "Where are we? The last thing I remember is a strange voice saying something and then nothing."

"Did it seem to know stuff about you that no one else could know?"

"Yeah," Terra grumbled before turning his head to Aqua, "How did you know that?"

Aqua hugged herself, "I know because it knew things about me that no one could possibly know about. Things that I hoped no one would ever find out."

"What are you saying?" Terra asked with concern.

"It knew what happened soon after we became Master Eraqus's students."

Terra's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to recall what Aqua was referring to, "Are you talking about what happened with the suit of armor?" Aqua nodded sadly but to her surprise Terra waved it off, "Don't tell me you're still upset that I took the blame? Master Eraqus knew it was an accident from the moment he walked in the room. He could see it in your eyes. Why do you think I didn't get in trouble?"

"You knew all along?"

Terra nodded, "Of course. Master Eraqus knew how wound up you were when he took you on as a student. He felt it would be better to let it slide and allow you to get used to everything. You remember how shy and introverted you were until just a few years ago."

Aqua hadn't always been the friendly and outgoing girl who would do anything to support her friends. For a long time after arriving on the Land of Departure she was perhaps the shyest person on the entire world. For hours on end she would either sequester herself in her room or the archives and escape the world around her by diving into the realm of knowledge. For years she would read about the various worlds across the Realm of Light and the keyblade wielders who defended them from the darkness and she became determined to one day become a master herself. It wasn't until she first met Terra a couple years later that the shell she had erected around her heart began to crack. It began with small smiles but the final nail in the coffin had been the guilt in thinking she got Terra into a lot of trouble. That one last act forced her to escape from the shell around her heart and finally become a real friend.

Aqua cracked a smile and playfully punched Terra's arm, "You don't know how much better that makes me feel. So…what did the voice tell you?"

Terra looked away nervously, "It said I was jealous of your skill and the attention Master Eraqus gives you."

"You know that's not true Terra."

"No, the voice was right. I am jealous of you," Terra leaned back against the wall, "As Master Eraqus started giving you extra training in magic I found myself falling further and further behind you. No matter how much I trained or practice it was like I just going nowhere but you know something? I wouldn't have it any other way."

Aqua looked at him in shock, "What?"

Terra rested his head on the wall and stared at the ceiling, "I'm jealous of your skill Aqua and I don't think that will ever change but you know, it forces me to think about myself. Every time I see you cast a spell flawlessly that I can barely do I think to myself that if I just push myself a little harder I'll reach your level someday."

Aqua hugged her knees closer to her chest as she sat next to Terra, "I guess I'll have to practice more so you're skill with magic improves. You know how horrible you are."

Terra smirked, "I know right? I can't cast anything higher then Thundara without shocking myself along the way."

"What about-"

Whatever Aqua was about to say was cut off as the doors to the chamber opened with a hiss and their master walked in. They could both see a relieved smile on the normally stern face of their master, "You are both awake. That is good. I am glad to see you both managed to pass the test."

"The Chamber of Introspection is unlike anything you could have prepared for. It forces anyone who enters it to face what they believe is the worst part about themselves. Aqua, this was the memory of not taking the blame for what was your fault although it was an accident. For you Terra, it was your long jealousy for believing I give more time and effort to training Aqua over you. Those unable to admit to their shortcomings or deny even having them automatically fail the test and are forever barred from wielding the keyblade. Now stand up. There is one last thing you need to do."

It took a bit of effort but Aqua and Terra managed to get to their feet. It seemed as if most of their strength had been drained during the test.

"From this point forward we stand as equals," Eraqus address Terra and then Aqua, "While I am still your master and will continue to train you until you take the Mark of Mastery, in the eyes of the Light we are equal. Now reach deep within your hearts and summon the keyblades you have been blessed with."

With a flick of her wrist Aqua instinctively summoned her keyblade for the first time accompanied by a small whirlwind of petals. The keyblade was thinner than Ichigo's Lost Memory and was a predominately dull blue color with a teardrop shaped hole excised from between the blade and the guard, which did not connect fully with the rest of the keyblade. The blade was in a diamond shape with teeth formed by several blue spikes alongside the outer edge of the blade.

Aqua looked at her keyblade with reverence. In the depths of her heart she knew just what to call it, "…Rainfell."

Terra held his hand out and at first nothing happened but suddenly a series of numbers and then small cubes appeared before a keyblade was held firmly in his grasp. Much like the keychain he had obtained the keyblade was a dark textured brown with edges that appeared to resemble brass. The end of the blade had three sets of protrusions sticking out, each set bigger then the previous. The guard, until the rest of the keyblade, was a bluish color and resembled two horseshoes wielded together end to end.

"So this is Earthshaker?" Terra turned his keyblade over in his hand, "Not too shabby."

Eraqus looked at his students with pride, "For a long time I was unsure whether you two would be found worthy enough to wield keyblades but after seeing you throw your lives on the line to save a friend I can see I was mistaken. Wield your keyblades with pride and defend the Realm of Light from the darkness that ever threatens to devour it. Now let us depart back to the main castle. I am sure you two are quite hungry after spending several hours down here."

Aqua wrapped an arm around Terra for support as they walked out of the Chamber of Introspection. As the doors to the chamber closed and sealed themselves once more, Aqua couldn't help but think whether Ichigo would have passed the test.

* * *

...

* * *

"Let's see if I got everything…"

She had enough food and water to survive in the wilderness for three weeks. She was going to be gone for a much longer period of time but Yoruichi planned on supplementing her rations with whatever she could hunt and trap. She didn't get to be captain of the Second Division solely on her stealth and nobility. While they did help Yoruichi prided herself on being self-reliant. Before returning to Kisuke's shop she had spent decades living off the land and outside society so she wasn't really worried.

Besides figuring out how much food she would need Yoruichi had also determined that she needed to throw away her captain's haori and sleeveless shinigami shihakusho for something a bit more practical. She had originally chosen to wear it solely to help Ichigo get threw the Royal Realm alive and intact but after everything that has happened Yoruichi felt it would be wrong to keep wearing the uniform of an organization that doesn't even exist anymore.

As Yoruichi finished changing she lamented the Seireitei's inability to adapt with the times. Already she could see why Ichigo continued to wear jeans, they were just so practical. They didn't easily tear in combat like a shihakusho and bloodstains easily washed out of the fabric. All in all they were much simpler and practical. Besides jeans she now wore a skintight sleeveless black shirt with a large white stylized heart on the back as well as a pair of armored guards on her forearms and shins.

When she had explained to Eraqus that she wanted some armor made for close quarters combat he had seemed hesitant. He tried to say that a keyblade's strike, when wielded by someone strong of heart, could not be stopped by any ordinary armor. Yoruichi had thought about what he said and proceeded to throw some of Gilgamesh's armor that she had pilfered during the fight on the ground. Eraqus had been impressed she was able to steal even a small portion of Gilgamesh's Genji armor and agreed right away to have several of the castle's resident moogles begin fashioning her armor. When she asked what the hell a moogle was Eraqus simply smirked and walked away.

She still doesn't know what the hell's a moogle. When she woke up the next day, determined to find out, she found her armor, customized to her size and body, already sitting on the nearby desk. Yoruichi had been so amazed at the amount of work and detail put into her new Genji armor that she had forgotten all about the moogles.

"I should find out before I go," she muttered.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Yoruichi smirked at the familiar voice. Leave it to Eraqus to figure out what she was going to do right before she left, "Me? I was just planning on taking a little vacation. All this excitement isn't good for my complexion. I was thinking of seeing the sights and take in some local culture. That sort of thing."

Eraqus's expression hardened, "The real reason Yoruichi."

Of course he wanted to the real reason.. Yoruichi sighed, "I need to leave to gain control over the power of darkness."

"If all it took to control the darkness was simply training I think someone would have figured it out years ago," Eraqus cautioned.. Despite the tone he did seem concerned about what she was trying to do, "I strongly discourage you from trying to control the darkness. Nothing ever good comes from messing with such corruptive powers. I have seen people, good people, succumb to the darkness despite their good intentions."

"Perhaps you're right but I still need to figure out a way to control the darkness," she clenched a fist and unconsciously summoned a small amount of darkness. After quickly dissipating it she continued, "Even if what you said is true I need to prevent it from interfering when I fight. When I fought Gilgamesh the darkness made me reckless, angry, and filled me with a want for vengeance against him for hurting Ichigo. I can't let my judgment be clouded by emotions during a fight. I may not be so lucky next time."

"I might be more inclined to trust you if I understood you better Yoruichi," Eraqus entered the room with his arms folded behind his back, "What is Ichigo's relation to you? I don't mean to be rude but he doesn't look anything like you."

Yoruichi couldn't help but chuckle, "If Ichigo were my son then his father would come back from the dead just to kill me. No, you're right. Ichigo is the son of a close friend. Before Karakura was destroyed by the heartless I promised myself I would watch over Ichigo if anything were to happen to his father. He's the only thing remaining and I'm going to do my damned best to make sure he survives."

Eraqus examined the meager belongings she had been packing, "You could have been quite the keyblade master Yoruichi."

"Aren't you nice?" Yoruichi swung her bags over her shoulder. After making sure they were secure she huffed, "But the keyblade is Ichigo's thing. If it had chosen him then who am I to take that away from him? I have my own powers and he has his."

"Very well but I have one final question," Eraqus stopped her before she could leave, "How long do you plan to be gone? While I am sure there are plenty of places across the Land of Departure where you can go, my main concern is how Ichigo will take it. I can tell that you have forgotten to inform him of your decision. How do you think he'll take the news that you left without saying goodbye?"

Yoruichi stopped and turned around, a mischievous smirk on her face, "I don't plan on being gone for more then a year but you can tell Ichigo whatever you want. Perhaps he'll learn to get over himself when I'm gone."

"You're risking quite a lot Yoruichi. Is that the proper attitude you want to take?"

"You don't know Ichigo or his family like I do. When something bad happens they tend to mope around for a few days, get real angsty but eventually they get over it. Trust me when I say Ichigo will be fine soon enough. He just needs some time to think and get his head on straight."

With that Yoruichi closed the door behind her with a solid thump, leaving Eraqus alone in what had been her room. The master was pensive as he replayed the conversation he just had in his head. Despite his misgivings with Yoruichi's attempt to control the darkness he did have hopes that she would be able to at least prevent it from leaking out in a fight. It may be because she's from the Realm of Darkness but he couldn't sense any corruption of her heart from the darkness and that gave him hope that she might actually succeed. All he needed to do now was inform Ichigo about Yoruichi's decision and departure.

* * *

...

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki walked through the upper floors of the castle, his hands tucked in his pockets and his mind deep in thought. Despite the overwhelming size of the castle and the number of people currently living or working in it, most of the upper levels were devoid of living beings. It gave him the solitude he needed to get his head back on straight.

Already he could feel the loneliness and guilt created from the destruction of Karakura lessening by the hour. He knew it would never truly go away but Ichigo was learning to live with and accept it for what it was. Gazing through the windows lining one entire side of the corridor he noticed a speck of light moving around rapidly in the distance. He walked towards the nearest window to get a closer look. It seemed oddly familiar to him but he just couldn't figure out where he had seen something like that before.

"Ichigo Kurosaki!"

He looked down the hall and saw one of the castle maids jogging towards him. It was obvious from the state she was in that she had been looking for him for a long time.

"That's me."

"Thank the light," the woman took a couple of deep breaths, "I have this letter for you from Master Xehanort."

"Xehanort?" The master had left a week ago so why would he be getting a letter now? Perplexed he grabbed the thin envelope out of her hand, "Why am I getting this just now?"

"Master Xehanort ordered for this letter to be delivered to you exactly one week after his departure.

"Thanks," he muttered. As the maid quickly hurried back to whatever she was doing before she began searching for him Ichigo flipped over the envelope in his hand. It was certainly odd of Xehanort to have a letter delivered so long after leaving. Ichigo couldn't think of any reason why the master would choose to do something like that. Opening it up he began reading, hoping there would be an explanation inside.

_Ichigo,_

_If you are reading this then it has been seven days since my departure. I apologize that I was not able to speak about this to you in person but I felt it was the proper decision in case someone overheard us. In trying times like this we cannot know who to trust. You needn't worry about someone reading this letter. I have enchanted it so that it can only be read by your eyes. That is why I can say the greatest problem we are facing comes from this Dark Master._

_Eraqus may be taking the threat from this Dark Master seriously but I feel that my old friend still believes him to not pose any immediately danger to the Realms of Light and Darkness. Someone with that much power and darkness will not rest until everything that stands in his way is destroyed. Unfortunately that means your life is in constant danger until you are able to adequately defend yourself. If my predictions are correct then the Dark Master will continue to sent assassins much like Gilgamesh after you until you finally fall to their might. _

_You will never hear Eraqus admit this, and I am loathe to admit it myself due to my stance, but the darkness in your greatest weapon. Despite the inherent corruptive nature of the darkness it could be your only advantage against this Dark Master. You must realize how strong Gilgamesh was during your fight with the swordsman but what you don't know is that he wasn't enhancing his powers with the darkness. Had he done so his strength would have been multiplied two to three times and you would have quickly succumbed to his attacks._

_We agree that the Dark Master is a threat to everything we know but you must be the one to stop him Ichigo. If he truly comes from the Realm of Darkness it is plausible that his base of operations lies within it, forbidding any of the twenty seven masters from hunting him down and putting an end to his plans. Gain strength Ichigo and find this Dark Master. Use any means necessary to put an end to his schemes before he can destroy everything we cherish._

_Xehanort_

Ichigo read the letter a second time just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. If what he read was correct this Dark Master was so strong that even keyblade masters with years of experience like Xehanort and Eraqus were afraid of facing him. That gave Ichigo pause for concern. Xehanort had mentioned that it was likely the Dark Master was from the Realm of Darkness much like Yoruichi and himself. That meant if it came down to it only they could withstand his attacks without quickly becoming tainted by the darkness.

"What should I do?"

Ichigo knew he could always use the power of darkness like Xehanort suggested but a large part of his mind rallied against the idea. He had seen enough movies to know that using something that dangerous meant there would eventually be side effects. If he was going to confront this so-called Dark Master he was going to do it on his own terms and with powers that wouldn't stab him in the back at the first opportunity.

A loud bang followed by shouting interrupted his train of thought. Glancing through the window he saw a man hop off a keyblade glider and stumble for a moment. As dozens of guards raced out to confront the man Ichigo could only wonder what was going on. Pocketing the letter began walking back the way he came. He had a sinking feeling that whatever was about to go on out there involved him.

* * *

...

* * *

"Jeez," the man glanced down at the blade merely inches from his neck, "Security in this place has really tightened up."

Running a hand through long unruly black hair the man, who looked to be facing certain death at the hands of nearly a dozen guards with weapons pointed at several vital points on his body, grumbled and folded his arms across his bare chest, "Since when was Eraqus this paranoid about security? That man seriously needs to take a vacation."

"Do you guys mind pointing the sharp end of your toys somewhere else? Someone might get the idea that you are threatening me," the man looked around and saw no hesitation in any of the guards' eyes. Impressed by their dedication but still in a hurry he shrugged, "Suit yourselves. Reflect."

In an instant a dome of light flashed into existence around the man, both repelling the guards surrounding him and destroying their swords. As the barrier created by the Reflect disappeared a second later the man looked out over the fallen guards, "Man, did I put too much power into that or has the quality of guards seriously dropped?"

"What a surprise see you of all people here."

The man turned and saw Eraqus storming his way towards him, "Eraqus, good to see you! I see you're still an enormous stick in the mud. How've you been?"

Eraqus's eyes glanced over the guards, who were just starting to recover from the spell, "I was fine until you showed up and started wrecking havoc."

"Havoc?" the man glanced around, "I haven't destroyed anything and I've been here for nearly ten minutes. I say that's an improvement."

Tired of the runaround Eraqus decided to get straight to the point, "Why are you here Jecht?"

"What?" Jecht said in mock hurt, "You haven't seen your friend in a long time and the first thing you say is that? I'm hurt Eraqus."

Jecht wasn't worried when Eraqus's expression hardened. He had dealt with the man before and nothing he did really bothered him anyway, "That old geezer, Xehanort, ran into me on Radiant Gardens a few days back. He said something about a kid with a keyblade but no master and asked me to take a look at him. In my own choice words I said he was full of himself and was about to walk away when the old man mentioned the kid surviving a fight against Gilgamesh. So where is the little brat who lived through a fight with big red?"

"I doubt that Xehanort would have asked you of all people to mentor Ichigo."

"His name's Ichigo?" Jecht's faded red eyes mulled over the name, "That's a weird name but at least it's nothing girly. So you don't think I can be a great master Eraqus?"

Eraqus noticed someone approaching but thought nothing of it, "Your record would agree with my earlier statement. How many promising students have you taken on and how many have actually become masters? A great master you may be but a teacher you aren't."

Jecht scratched his neck. He didn't like having conversations like this, "You and I both know that power and skill doesn't make a master. Sure it counts for a large part but it's not everything."

The sound of approaching footsteps quickly brought a halt to the conversation when a voice asked, "Who are you?"

"You must be Ichigo," Jecht turned around allowing Ichigo to get a good look at the man. Unlike Eraqus and everyone else he had met Jecht had foregone the standard use of a shirt and only wore a pair of black shorts and metal boots with an orange sash looped through his belt and allowed to hang freely over his right leg.

"This is very strange…" Jecht muttered to himself as he took in Ichigo's appearance, "He doesn't look like much Eraqus. Are you sure this is the kid Xehanort was talking about?"

Ichigo snapped to attention at that name, "How do you know that name?"

Jecht ignored Ichigo's question and grumbled, "You look like a real big baby. Can you even summon a keyblade or are you just all talk?"

With a snap of his wrist, Lost Memory appeared in Ichigo's hand, "Is this proof enough for you?"

Rather than being impressed Jecht looked at the keyblade and simply rolled his eyes, "Oh wow… you can summon a keyblade. Tell you what kid. Why don't you go on home to your mommy or something and let the big boys play with keyblades. I'm sure she's waiting for you to cry on her shoulder. A momma's boy like you can never-"

Ichigo found Jecht to be annoying as soon as he saw him. There was just something about the master that grated on his nerves but Ichigo had felt worse so he was content to let it slide. After all, he had lived with his father, a man who should have been declared legally insane years ago, and didn't snap so he could make the conscious effort to allow Jecht the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately as Jecht started speaking Ichigo found his annoyance shifting quickly to anger.

Therefore he decided the best course of action would be to remedy the problem.

"Gah!" Jecht collapsed to one knee and held a hand to his nose. As rivers of blood flowed between his fingers Ichigo looked at the downed master in a mix of satisfaction and shock. While hitting the man was extremely satisfying he most likely destroyed any chance of Jecht training him. Casting a quick Cura spell on his broken nose Jecht glared daggers at Ichigo, "Well kid, you succeeded in pissing off probably the only master willing to take you on. You have anything to say for yourself?"

"Shut the hell up!" Ichigo growled and looked at Eraqus. The master's expression seemed to be one of mute shock, "This guy is supposed to be my master? The person who will help me learn everything about the keyblade and how to defend worlds from the heartless? I'd rather not have a keyblade then listen to this jackass speak one more word about my mother!"

With both his day and mood ruined Ichigo stormed back to his room. He needed to get as much space between this man and himself or he would most likely punch him again. Even before he could make it ten feet he heard mirthful laughing coming from Jecht. Looking back he saw the master standing with a wide grin on his face, ignorant of the blood still lingering from the freshly fixed wound, "You're a tough one. I'll think you'll do fine kid."

Jecht walked over and looked Ichigo square in the eye, "It takes real…uhhh…guts to stand up to a master and even more by willing to give up the keyblade entirely. You wouldn't believe how many students I've had to kick out that agreed with everything I said or just kept their mouths shut in fear of my reaction."

Wrapping an arm around Ichigo's neck Jecht pointed to Eraqus, "Take this stick in the mud. Rumor has it when he was first chosen by his master he was such a brown nose that he literally memorized the rulebook of wielding a keyblade. I didn't even know such a thing existed and yet Eraqus found it. Even Xehanort was more fun to be around then him and that's saying something. Talk about not having a life. Jeez…"

Patting Ichigo on the back he began walking to the castle, "I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning to begin your torture…I mean training. Make sure to get lots of sleep and pray to whatever god you believe in because starting tomorrow I'm the only thing that can say when you have the right to die. Just be…sure…to…"

"What's the matter now?"

Jecht stared into the distance a couple of seconds longer before narrowing his eyes, "Nothing. I thought I sensed something. Anyway, I look forward to seeing how long you last Ichigo. Personally I don't think you'll last a month but here's to hoping you beat my expectations."

Ichigo stood there stunned as Jecht disappeared into the castle. As his mind finally caught up with the abrupt changes in emotions he had experienced over the last few minutes he looked at Eraqus, "What the hell just happened?"

"The unthinkable," Eraqus rubbed the bridge of his nose to avoid the predictable headache was the sure to follow Jecht's arrival. Why had his old friend chosen Jecht of all people to be Ichigo's master? There were ten others he could think of off the top of his head that would have been a better match for Ichigo, "It seems that my old friend picked the only person I would never have chosen. While Jecht is a powerful and accomplished master his teaching methods leave much to be desired. I wish you the best of luck with Jecht's lessons. You will need it."

Ichigo's shoulders slumped as Eraqus walked away. How had this day gotten so weird? One minute he was punching a master in the nose and the next that same guy was laughing it off like it was nothing. What was worse then everything else was the feeling that Jecht meant every word about his training being torture. At the current rate he might not last long enough to hunt down the Dark Master.

"This is going to suck."

* * *

...

* * *

Miles away from the castle that was the capital of the Realm of Departure stood a mountain range known as the Emerald Peaks. The name comes from the hue the mountains take twice a year when the angle of the sun off the rocks colors the peaks a light green color. It was on top of one of the taller peaks, a mile above the castle below in the distance, that the sky began rippling. The rippling soon turned to shattering as a form emerged. The light shining from the figure was strong enough to melt away the ice and snow several feet below where the figure hovered. With an annoyed flap of her wings Uriel reigned back in her purifying light.

"That traitor almost noticed my presence through my bulwark."

The bulwark was one of the innate abilities of the soulless. By focusing the light composing their bodies outwards into the environment they were able to make themselves invisible to both sight and sound. As long as they continued channeling light into their bulwark no being other than another soulless could detect them. It was perfect for spying but there were drawbacks that made it unsuitable for combat.

Any being with a strong enough connection to the light could theoretically see through the bulwark. Even the traitors to the light below, wielding the ancient weapons and declaring themselves the protectors of the light, could pierce her bulwark if she was close enough. That one man had nearly done so from several miles away. With such a strong traitor there was no way Uriel could get any closer to her target without giving herself away and declaring the return of the soulless to the realms before her brothers and sisters were ready. But even as far away as she was Uriel could sense the sadness and despair from her target. It was strong enough that the crystal tears that so often slid down her golden face doubled in intensity.

"How could such a being not succumb to their overwhelming sadness?" she asked herself as she began crying, "Why have they not given up hope and allowed the light to ease their burden?"

Uriel's body strained to go after her target but her mind managed to keep control, if barely. She was here for a reason and nothing, not even herself, will jeopardize that.

"What darkness…"

Uriel shuddered as she intimately felt the darkness in the heart of every being throughout the world. Even the most pure of hearts had become tainted by the darkness and would need to be released from their pain. What stunned her were the few hearts that seemed to be composed of more darkness than light. One of them was her target but the others were unknown to her. Who could they be and how were they able to escape the notice of her brothers and sisters? This was a matter of great concern for if some managed to slip through the cracks more were bound to as well.

Her options were laid on the table in front of her and Uriel closed her glowing eyes as she came to a decision. Raising a hand, she traced a circle in the air with her finger and immediately a tunnel of light appeared behind her. Hovering backwards into the tunnel Uriel knew she needed to tell her brothers and sisters of her findings. So much has changed in the Realm of Light since they were sealed. They needed time to gather their thoughts and plan the next move. They would need to move carefully lest the traitors to the light grow suspicious but they had time.

Time was something that did not affect the soulless. Centuries imprisoned by traitors had done nothing to diminish their numbers.

As the seraphim was enveloped by the light she could feel her fellow soulless welcoming her back. Uriel cracked a sad smile. Now that they had returned to the Realm of Light she would soon be able to save every being from the sadness and darkness that consumes them. Only then would the remorse that permeates every fiber of her being finally be lifted.

One year…

* * *

...

* * *

_A dream is a wish your heart makes_

_~Walt Disney_

_._

_._

_._

_And so ends the prelude to the dream, which leaves but the Heart open for interpretation,_

_The pieces fall into place but the players are not yet ready._

_._

_._

_._

_The diametric forces of Light and Darkness fight for dominance,_

_But anything in abundance might be a bad thing._

_Whether consumed by the Darkness or bathed in the Light,_

_The heart will fight for balance._

_._

_._

_._

_END BOOK 1: Dive to the Soul_

_._

_._

_._

_BEGIN BOOK 2: Journey through Darkness_

* * *

...

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well that is the end of Book 1. As you can see Ichigo now has a keyblade master willing and able to teach him what it means to wield a keyblade, Aqua and Terra both got their respective keyblades, Yoruichi has left Ichigo to go control the new powers she was given and the Soulless have retreated for the moment. So…Book 1. Originally I planned for the first book of my story to only go up to Chapter 9 but I realized it would leave too many plot holes and gaps in the story so I hope this wraps up everything nicely before the time skip. **

**Yes there is a time skip and no, Ichigo will not get super powerful during it. Think back to Aqua and Terra fighting Gilgamesh. They were able to do more to him with magic and tactics then Ichigo could due to being trained by Eraqus for nearly two years. Ichigo may have the power but he has none of the skill or training necessary to use it wisely. If he had then his fight against Gilgamesh wouldn't have been so one-sided.**

**And no, despite what similarities may exist the voices that Aqua and Terra hear in the Chamber of Introspection are NOT the same as zanpakuto. The purpose of the chamber is to force those that enter it to face what they feel is the worst part about themselves. The voice is merely a replica, twin, copy or whatever you want to call it of those that enter but who are fully aware of their follies. The voice tests potential keyblade wielders by talking about what they refuse to admit until they either accept it and move on (Passing the test) or denying it and refusing (failing). The voice only exists in the chamber and will not make any other appearances in the story.**

**Book 2 will be called Journey through Darkness and while I don't like to give spoilers (since it raises your expectations) I will hint that it involves Ichigo traveling to the Realm of Darkness to face those opposed to him. I will not be starting Book 2 right away. I want to proofread and edit Chapters 1-9, fix typos and plot holes, and add in several things that I forgot before I start Chapter 11. Check my profile every so often since I will post what chapters have been updated as I go through them.**

**Update: Chapter 11 will be posted within two weeks!  
**


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